DEBORAH'S DREAMS, MUSINGS AND VISIONS

IN HONOR OF MY BIRTHDAY

2012-02-19T01:13:00.002-06:00

Characteristics: Pisces Cusp

01. Aquarius/Pisces are selfless and spiritual, often strongly intuitive and receptive to the collective unconscious.

02. Those born on the Aquarius/Pisces cusp reflect the dual nature of life, reality and non reality, consciousness and the unconscious. They represent consciousness through the flowing of ideas. They work hard to bring their ideas to fruition, stubbornly refusing to give up their causes.

03. They are peace loving and friendly, and are the chameleons of the Zodiac, receptive to the needs of others but sometimes getting lost themselves.

04. Aquarius/Pisces tend to be strongly spiritual (not necessarily religious) and artistic. They are idealistic, but sometimes their dreams are vague and impractical.

05. When reality intrudes, they can become pessimistic or lethargic, but they are very adaptive and broad-minded, so they can rework their ideals when necessary.

06. Aquarius/Pisces are tolerant and open-minded, but tend to stick to their beliefs. They are compassionate, sensitive, imaginative and sympathetic to the feelings of others. They tend to be romantic and sentimental, but they may give in to escapism.

07. They are devoted to their goals, but they can be disorganized or procrastinate when faced with difficulties.

08. Their intellect makes them logical and self-confident, but it may also makes them aloof from people around them.

09. They are original, offbeat and even eccentric, but they are also rather bored by detail. Reformist and experimental, Aquarius/Pisces may seem cold toward people who don’t share their intellectual orientation to life.

10. Those born on the Aquarius/Pisces cusp may become timid if their emotions are abused too often.

11. Aquarius/Pisces are often multitalented, both in scientific and creative endeavors.

12. They are unique and rebellious people who are driven to change the world. However, they can be shy, quiet and sometimes elusive, refusing to show their true selves.

13. They are modest and thoughtful, sometimes displaying remarkable musical talent. Their freedom is important to them, and they are often driven to help others become free, as well.

14. They may work to alleviate their emotional stress through contact with others and exercise.

15. The great strength of the Aquarius/Pisces is in their visionary nature and their compassion. They are the people who take the world to the next level; they make others see things in a new light. Their ability to break the rules and help others reach their fullest potential makes them one of the most understanding characters of the zodiac.

Fixed Air & Mutable Water this is perhaps the strangest combination. Both of these signs are unconventional as far as society is concerned. They seem to know things other people don’t know. Aquarius desire to know with Pisces intuition could be very helpful. However, they aren’t on the same wave length. It takes some objective observation to make this unusual combination fit. Society is no help when it comes to putting it together. Pisces belongs to the mystics while Aquarius belongs to the scientist. Of course, no one fits this pattern exactly.
Both must find a part of society in which they feel most comfortable. Those dealing with this cusp of qualities in one chart must find a unique way to blend these two abilities on their own. Most of you will be rather silent about what you are able to recognize since you realize very early that no one else recognizes things as they appear to be to you. If you worry too much about other people, you may put so much pressure on yourself to fit in that you distort the best of what you have. If you are able to deal with the difference you recognize between you and the society in which you find yourself, it is possible for you to develop some real genius qualities. It will be up to you to recognize these differences and not try too hard to get the recognition you would like to have to help you develop your ideas. If you have enough control without looking weird, you will be able to learn something from everyone, even if they understand very little, if anything, about the way you see your world. Psychic phenomena is natural to you. If society laughs at this too early in your life, you will shut it off and deny you ever saw anything. You will learn very soon that others don’t see what you see. You will have to decide whether you can find a safe way to be yourself or if it would be safer to try to be more like everyone else. Singers, actors, authors, and that in-between group which cannot be classified are able to do a good job with this cusp.

EPIC FAIL

2012-02-19T00:47:00.003-06:00

sigh....my son is certifiably insane,,,,and there is nothing i can do or no way to fix it....but I still love him....

his latest post....
"People always assume I'm not black... I was mistaken for Mexican again. I wish I didn't have to deal with that. And I wish my mother hadn't been white, but I guess that's something else I can just be disappointed in my father for."

Wow, Versailles....I have an idea - why not stop all the self hate and embrace your family and who you are.....just a thought....

THE APPLE CAKE LEGENDS ARE MADE OF....

2012-02-14T13:58:00.002-06:00

YEARS AGO I WAS ON WIC FOOD SUPPLEMENT COUPONS AND THEY GAVE OUT A NEWSLETTER EVERY MONTH THAT INCLUDED RECIPES. I TRIED THIS UPSIDE DOWN APPLE CAKE AND IT WAS THE BEST THING EVER! OF COURSE AS BEST THINGS EVER GO, I PROMPTLY LOST THE RECIPE AND HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR IT FOR AT LEAST 10 YEARS NOW. THIS IS THE CLOSEST I HAVE COME TO WHAT I REMEMBER OF THE RECIPE SO TRYING THIS ONE NEXT TO SEE IF IT IS THE STUFF DREAMS ARE MADE OF....

3 large golden delicious apples
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 scant teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons melted butter
.
Cake
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, stirred before measuring
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup milk
Preparation:

Heat oven to 325°. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan or spray with baking spray. Core the apples and cut into wedges; peel and slice thinly. Combine apple slices with the brown sugar, 1 scant teaspoon of cinnamon, and 4 tablespoons of melted butter. Arrange the apple mixture in the prepared baking pan.
Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl. In a large mixing bowl with electric mixer, beat butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture to the first mixture, alternating with the milk, beating just until blended. Spoon the batter evenly over the apple slices; gently spreading to cover. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Invert the hot cake onto a platter or cake plate and let stand for about 5 minutes. Remove the pan and scrape up any fruit slices clinging to the pan and arrange them over the cake

ITS NOT TIME TO GIVE UP - ITS TIME TO GET ON WITH IT......

2011-12-31T23:41:00.001-06:00

PISCES HOLIDAY DECORATING

2011-12-13T11:19:00.001-06:00

Your dreamy, romantic nature would love the dazzling effect of decorating your home in white this season. Start by lightly spraying your tree with snow, then add clear lights, white and silver ornaments, snowflakes and glass icicles. Use sprays of red berries as a counterpoint. Place white candles throughout the house, and position a pale, satiny cloth on your dining table. Red and pink poinsettias will add a stunning contrast

BORN ON THE AQUARIUS PISCES CUSP

2011-12-13T10:46:00.001-06:00

Born on the Aquarius-Pisces Cusp
The Cusp of Sensitivity: A dreamy, compassionate place

Wondering what happens when your birth chart combines the energy of quirky Aquarius with dreamy Pisces? If you were born on the cusp of these two horoscopes signs, between about February 16 to 26, you were born on The Cusp of Sensitivity -- a compassionate and imaginative place.

Spiritual, artistic, peace-loving and friendly, Aquarius-Pisces cuspers are highly original people. This is the cusp most likely to be labeled “offbeat” or “eccentric,” and its citizens are stimulated by visionary ideas and new experiences. They are highly intellectual, however not so good with practical details and follow-through.

These cuspers may be social or shy, or they may be a peculiar mix of both. This is because pending time with others is a great stress relief, but at the same time they are so sensitive they often choose to hide out alone and escape into their imaginations instead.

Aquarius-Pisces is also arguably the most intuitive cusp placement, lending a naturally psychic and compassionate view of the world. Delving into spiritual matters and philosophical ideals is much more important to these folks than simply managing the details of day-to-day life. For this reason they may lose things, forget appointments, show up late or stand you up. But don’t be mad -- it’s only because they were too preoccupied thinking about how make the world a better place on a much deeper level.

DR SUESS, INSANE EBAYERS AND THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS REVELATIONS

2011-12-09T09:34:00.002-06:00

Last night I learned a very valuable lesson. As some of you may know from my postings I am selling ebay to try to provide Christmas for my three children. My husband lost his job recently and unemployment claims have not been settled so suffice to say no money is to be had. Luckily I started ebaying earlier in the year and started buying gifts for the kids earlier in the year as well. Anyway, last night two things happened that caused major holiday stress. The first was I had a message from an insane ebayer, (who I suspect is actually a scammer), trying to get me to refund all her money while she still keeps the product I sent her. She carried on and on to the point of saying I ruined her Christmas! Next I got into the car when my husband picked me up from work and we discussed the possibility of his first unemployment check possibly coming before Christmas and I voiced my concerns on how we were possibly going to afford the "big gifts".
We got in an argument when he heard the cost of the additional items and tried to point out to me how impractical they really were. (Getting a Nintendo 3ds for each boy instead of 1 that they could share as they already have other game systems and getting a guitar for my daughter when she is already on grounding because she hasn't buckled down and turned in all her assignments this year, as it resulted in not good grades for her first quarter. So basically why pay extra money we don't have for an additional game system or musical instrument that really are impractical? I stormed off after arguing in the car, completely upset and sat down and thought about why I was upset. It was all because of my idea of what Christmas should be, rather than what it actually means and is. I have been upset because DH decorated the tree without my ribbon garland or choice of ornaments (the kids loved the tree, he made sure to put on their favorite character ornaments from their childhoods on the tree so who cares it isn't the designer tree I think it should be?) I was upset that DH stapled old fashioned rope tinsel around the doorways and walls - (so what it is fun and festive - who cares if it doesn't match the latest spread in a Christmas magazine?) I was upset because I thought DH was trying to ruin Christmas by suggesting we not buy them the impractical items and instead invest the money in things they needed like extra blue jeans, socks, new gloves and hats, new shoes etc. Things to get them through the cold Wisconsin winter! Yikes how dare he be so practical and ruin my idea of Christmas! Well I talked to my kids and guess what, my daughter just wanted to make sure she retained her cell phone rather than getting a guitar, my two boys were just fine sharing the one handheld and said it was very impractical of me to think they needed one each! They then were very happy about the additional warm clothes idea as they said, yes absolutely we noticed the need for these, our fall clothes aren't doing the trick now that the weather is getting so cold. Sigh....then I thought about the lady trying to scam me, all so she could make sure the "perfect Christmas" she had in mind was carried out. While I still asked that she return my items, I offered to send her a smaller ticket item that would go with her motif she was planning as a gift for her daughter and suggested where she should purchase the item brand new. Then I watched Frosty the Snowman with my youngest son and all the kids put in their vote of their favorite cookie that they wanted to bake this year! In conclusion, we put forth the version of the Christmas as we think it should be and wonder why we are let down and disappointed each year, well at the age of 45 years old I have finally learned the lesson Dr Suess explained so many years ago,
Maybe Christmas", he thought, "doesn't come from a store."
"Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"
(The Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Dr Suess)

CHRUSCIKI LEAVES - DEEP FAT FRIED ALCOHOL MMMMMM

2011-11-26T09:21:00.002-06:00

I am busy being domestic diva today, going to decorate for Christmas and busy planning Christmas cookies, this one sounds divine :)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
10 large egg yolks
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1/2 cup sour cream
4 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
Sifted confectioners' sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
1.Put butter, eggs, yolks, granulated sugar, salt, vanilla, zests, Cognac, and sour cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on medium speed until pale and thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually add enough flour to form a fairly stiff dough. Turn out dough onto a floured work surface; knead until dough blisters, becomes elastic, and can be handled easily, 6 to 8 minutes, adding flour if needed.
2.Divide dough into 4 pieces. Keep dough under an inverted bowl to prevent it from drying out. Working with 1 piece at a time, roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. If dough becomes too elastic while rolling, cover with plastic, and let rest 15 minutes. Cut out leaves with a leaf-shape cookie cutter; transfer to a tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat with remaining dough, layering leaves between sheets of parchment paper. Collect all scraps, and let rest 20 minutes before rerolling.
3.Heat oil in a medium-heavy saucepan until it registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Stretch leaves slightly so they will curl while frying. Fry in batches of 12, turning occasionally, until pale golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to baking sheets lined with paper towels to drain and cool. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Store in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days

RAIN, LEAVES, AND THE DAMN THANKSGIVING MENU

2011-11-09T09:09:00.004-06:00

I am hating the way my life is going today. Nothing is working out as planned, like it ever would for me, but still a girl has to have something resembling hope right? Okay the good thing is the miserable rain and the wet slippery leaves which after a couple years in Seattle I actually enjoy. It is definitely a fall kinda vibe today which leads me after much ranting to the DAMN THANKSGIVING MENU. Don't get me wrong, I love love love Thanksgiving, I mean calorie fest eating and then shopping all night, a holiday doesn't get any better than that in my opinion. Cooking Thanksgiving kinda sucks though. I have to do it by myself because being stuck in the forsaken cold barren land that is Wisconsin, I have no cool, West Coast vibey, California family Thanksgivings coming my way anytime soon. Sigh....

So unto the DAMN THANKSGIVING MENU - I am all the way broke this year for the holidays, (I say this as if this is a new thing, NOT!). So I decided to be the Frugal Holiday Queen this year. That said, Thanksgiving is not a frugal holiday. In fact I probably spend the most than any other time of the year between the DAMN THANKSGIVING MENU and the Black Friday sales. So yeah, have I changed the menu this year to reflect this new Queen of Frugal? Of course not, I plan to just coupon lots and fly through it with style and poverty just as I do the rest of my life.

With no further ado - Here is THE DAMN THANKSGIVING MENU and accompanying recipes:

New Kinda Turkey I am trying
Honey Ham that claims to be like the Honey Ham store
Waldorf Salad with dried cranberries in it to make it holidayesque
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Crockpot Garlic Mash Potatoes
Gravy that sounds easy to do
Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows because it is illegal to make Thanksgiving without
Smothered Collard Greens with Cabbage same reason as sweet potatoes
Can of Jellied Cranberry Sauce because I love this disgusting thing
Jalapeno Cornbread Stuffing - Stovetop will be used along with sauted veggies I am not a martyr
Pillsbury Crescent Rolls - The Oh hell no I am not making homemade rolls after all that damn cooking
Pumpkin Pie - Because I NEED to pile this with whip creme and watch General Hospital
Zoe's Apple Crisp - Because Zoe is Lazy with a capital L so needs to do something to help and everyone loves her apple crisp!! LOL

New Kinda Turkey
(18 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
1 medium onion, peeled
1 large carrot, peeled
1 stalk celery
1 apple, stem removed
1 orange
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon soul food seasoning
1 pound sliced smoked bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse the turkey, pat dry and place in a large roasting pan. Insert the onion, carrot, and celery into the cavity of the bird. Poke holes in the apple and orange so they will release their juices, and stuff them into the bird. You may have to cut some things in half to get them all inside. Spread oil all over the outside of the bird, and season with salt, pepper and soul food seasoning. Place the turkey into an oven bag, and set back into the pan with the breast facing up. Lay strips of bacon over the entire top. Close the bag. Roast the turkey for about 4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) when taken in the thickest part of the thigh. Let the turkey rest for 10 or 15 minutes before carving, and use the drippings in your favorite gravy recipe.

Honey Glazed Ham

(5 pound) ready-to-eat ham
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
2 cups honey
2/3 cup butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).Score ham, and stud with the whole cloves. Place ham in foil lined pan.In the top half of a double boiler, heat the corn syrup, honey and butter. Keep glaze warm while baking ham. Brush glaze over ham, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Baste ham every 10 to 15 minutes with the honey glaze. During the last 4 to 5 minutes of baking, turn on broiler to caramelize the glaze. Remove from oven, and let sit a few minutes before serving.

Waldorf Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 apples -- peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup craisins

In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
Stir in the apples, celery, walnuts, and craisins. Chill until ready to serve.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

(16 ounce) package macaroni
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 cup milk
1 pound shredded Colby cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Place macaroni in a 2 quart casserole dish. Stir in cheese soup and milk until well combined. Sprinkle with shredded Colby.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Sweet Potato Casserole

5 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup low fat margarine
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 pinches ground cinnamon
1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Boil sliced sweet potatoes in water until tender. Drain. In a large bowl, blend the potatoes until creamy. Stir in the butter, brown sugar, orange juice to taste and a dash of ground cinnamon.
Spread the sweet potato mixture into a 9x13 inch pan. Sprinkle the miniature marshmallows over the top and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until golden brown.

Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

2 pounds red potatoes, diced with peel
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup milk, or as needed

Place the potatoes, water, and butter into a slow cooker. Season with salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Cover, and cook on Low for 7 hours, or High for 4 hours.
Mash potatoes with a masher or electric beater, adding the desired amount of milk to achieve a creamy consistency. Keep warm on low until serving.

Easy Turkey Gravy

5 cups turkey stock with pan drippings
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Bring the turkey stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in soup, and season with poultry seasoning, pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Reduce heat to low, and let simmer.
Warm the milk in the microwave, and whisk in the flour with a fork until there are no lumps. Return the gravy to a boil, and gradually stir in the milk mixture. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, or until thickened. Be careful not to let the bottom scorch.

Smothered Collard Greens and Cabbage

1/2 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
5 leaves collard greens - rinsed, trimmed and chopped
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon greens seasoning, divided
1 head cabbage, chopped
1 pinch white sugar

Fry the bacon with the onion in a large skillet over medium heat until the bacon is crisp, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped collard greens, sprinkle with salt, black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of the greens seasoning; cook and stir for 5 minutes.
Add in the darker chopped cabbage leaves, and cook and stir until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining cabbage; season with salt, black pepper, sugar, and the remaining greens seasoning. Stir well; cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally so that the greens do not scorch, about 10 minutes.

Jalapeno Stuffing

3/4 cup butter, divided
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1/2 pound spicy Italian sausage, casing removed
2 (6 ounce) package cornbread stuffing mix
3 cups dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups warm chicken stock
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9x9 inch pan.
In a heavy skillet, melt 8 tablespoons butter over low heat. Saute the onion and peppers until soft. Place sausage in skillet; crumble and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, and transfer to a large bowl.
Combine sausage mixture with stuffing mix, bread crumbs, chicken stock, egg, and salt and pepper. Mix well, and transfer dressing to prepared pan. Dot with remaining butter.
Bake for 45 minutes.

ZOE'S FAMOUS APPLE CRISP

2 Lg cans apple pie filling
3/4 cup butter (no substitutions)
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 cup oatmeal (regular not instant)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter an 8in square baking dish. Spread apple filling in the bottom. Combine butter, sugar, and flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oatmeal and cinnamon and mix again. Spread evenly over apples and bake until lightly browned about 35-45 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and serve warm with vanilla icecream on the side.

Libby's Famous Pumpkin Pie

(9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S(R) 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can NESTLE(R) CARNATION(R) Evaporated Milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. (Do not freeze as this will cause the crust to separate from the filling.)

FRUGAL BUT FABULOUS CHRISTMAS DINNER

2011-11-04T18:51:00.003-05:00

OLD FASHIONED COUNTRY CHRISTMAS DINNER - FRUGAL MENU AND RECIPES
Next up on my planning is Christmas dinner - it has it all but for me anyway, it still has a lower price tag. Granted I get the two main entrees for free which is not the case for everyone, but with good planning and couponing this can still be a manageable but great celebration dinner! Here is what I am making and why I think I am saving money!

Christmas Dinner 2011 menu and recipes

Stuffed Celery - appetizer
(We always seem to have celery in the fridge, it is a cheap veggie and goes with a lot of recipes! This spiced up cream cheese filling reminds me of something Grandma would make and this is both lowcarb and cheap - the perfect appetizer!)

Bacon Wrapped Waterchestnuts - appetizer
(This just needs a can or two of whole waterchestnuts (in the chinese food section and not really too pricey). (Other than that it just takes some bacon which you probably keep on hand and some general condiments that are usually in the fridge)

Spiced Roast Turkey - main dish
(I can't imagine a holiday without the smell of turkey roasting in the oven and this year I saved enough grocery points to get one for free!)

Baked Glazed Ham - main dish
(Yes you really don't need both but I get a ham every year for free from my company, so free works for me! This is a basic glaze that is tried and true by a true fashionista, so awesome, retro and goooood!)

Ultimate Twice Baked Potatoes - side dish
(Okay you probably already keep potatoes in the house, you got the bacon there from the appetizer anyway, now thrown in some grated cheese and sour cream and voila a glitzy holiday side dish that is not too expensive!)

Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows - side dish
(this is optional for most but for my honey - he can't live without it!) (I am going cheap and easy by buying the Aldi's frozen sweet potato casserole and throwing some marshmallows on top!)

Soul Food Restaurant Green Beans - side dish
(this is simple ingrediants, easy to do, cheap to make and awesome to taste!) (This can be made with fresh, frozen or canned green beans whatever you have on hand!) (And yes it makes those savory green beans you get at a soul food restaurant!)

Crescent Rolls - bread
(yes using coupons and getting Pillsbury - they are everyone's must have holiday item!)

Beverages are a cheap but good bottle of wine and soft drinks with a scoop of green sherbert for the kids -easy and not expensive

Extreme Chocolate Layer Cake
(it's cheap and classic and unbelievably good, everyone likes it and do you really need one million desserts or just one really good one?) ( I plan to decorate this with pretty scrolled frosting and crush up some leftover candycanes - voila Christmas dinner finale!)

Here are the recipes:

STUFFED CELERY
•1 bunch celery - large stalks washed, trimmed, and cut into 3 sections
•2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese at room temperature
•3/4 cup chopped pimento-stuffed green olives
•2 cloves garlic, finely minced
•1 pinch salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Thoroughly dry each piece of celery with paper towels. Mix the cream cheese, olives, garlic, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Using a knife, spread a generous amount of cream cheese filling down the center indentation of each celery piece. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

BACON WRAPPED CHESTNUTS

•2 (8 ounce) cans whole water chestnuts, drained
1 pound sliced bacon
•1/2 cup packed brown sugar
•1/2 cup mayonnaise
•1/4 cup chili sauce
Cut bacon strips in half. In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until almost crisp; drain. Wrap each bacon piece around a water chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Combine the brown sugar, mayonnaise and chili sauce; pour over water chestnuts. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

SPICE RUBBED TURKEY
•2 Tb. Sylvia’s brand Secret Seasoning (or other “multi-spice” seasoning)
•2 Tb. Old Bay Seasoning
•1/2 tsp Pepper
•1/2 tspGarlic Powder
•1 tsp Poultry Seasoning
•1/2 tsp Thyme
•1/4 cup butter
•1 can turkey broth
Blend all spices and rub into turkey – you may need to double this formulation depending on the size of your turkey. Place butter into turkey roasting pan and place turkey upside smashing it into the butter. Bake at 350 in this position uncovered for one hour. After one hour turn over turkey add a sprinkling of more spices to the top of the turkey. Add a can of turkey broth and continue to baste while cooking

MONTE'S GLAZED HAM

•For the Ham:
•1 15 pound smoked ham, on the bone
•For the Glaze:
•1 1/2 cups orange marmalade
•1 cup dijon mustard
•1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
•1 rounded tablespoon whole cloves
DIRECTIONS FOR THE HAM: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Trim tough outer skin and excess fat from ham. Put ham in a large roasting pan and score, making crosshatch incisions all over it with a sharp knife. Roast for 2 hours. Remove ham from oven and increase heat to 350 degrees. FOR THE GLAZE: Combine orange marmalade, mustard, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Stud ham with cloves, inserting one at the intersection of each crosshatch, then brush entire surface of ham generously with glaze and return to oven.

ULTIMATE TWICE BAKED POTATOES
•4 large baking potatoes
•8 slices bacon
•1 cup sour cream
•1/2 cup milk
•4 tablespoons butter
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1/2 teaspoon pepper
•1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
•8 green onions, sliced, divided
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake potatoes in preheated oven for 1 hour. Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside. When potatoes are done allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Slice potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop the flesh into a large bowl; save skins. To the potato flesh add sour cream, milk, butter, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 the green onions. Mix with a hand mixer until well blended and creamy. Spoon the mixture into the potato skins. Top each with remaining cheese, green onions and bacon.
1.Bake for another 15 minutes.

SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT GREEN BEANS

•1/2 bacon strip, cut up
•1 slice onion, chopped
•Small clove of garlic
•2 cans (1 lb. each) cut green beans
•pinch sugar
•1/4 tsp. salt
•1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1.Place bacon, onion and garlic in pot. Cook until tender.Add beans, sugar, salt and pepper; stir to mix. Cook on medium heat for about 25 minutes

EXTREME CHOCOLATE CAKE
•2 cups white sugar
•1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
•3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
•1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
•1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•1 teaspoon salt
•2 eggs
•1 cup milk
•1/2 cup vegetable oil
•2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•1 cup boiling water
•3/4 cup butter
•1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
•5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
•2/3 cup milk
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans. Use the first set of ingredients to make the cake. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Stir in the boiling water by hand. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
2.To make the frosting, use the second set of ingredients. Cream butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla. Beat to a spreading consistency. Split the layers of cooled cake horizontally, cover the top of each layer with frosting, then stack them onto a serving plate. Frost the outside of the cake.

A FRUGAL CHRISTMAS EVE MENU FROM MY NEW FRUGAL HOLIDAY SERIES

2011-11-04T16:32:00.003-05:00

I decided to go Italian this year (not the seafood feast as that is not really frugal LOL), but more of a nice Italian dinner. We usually do a party with appetizers but I decided to forgoe that and do a regular meal with appetizers, pasta, salad etc as a way of saving some $ this year. Yes there are frugal appetizers but a meal of appetizers can get up there in price chiefly for the multitude of different ingrediants needed. Here is my menu and how I am keeping it frugal-

Shrimp Scampi appetizer
(a bag of shrimp at Aldi's grocery store is only $3 but this appetizer seems luxurious this doesn't contain many more ingrediants than what I will have on hand already for the main course)

Stuffed Mushrooms appetizer(this just has the same ingrediants I would purchase for the lasagna, goes in the microwave, and just need to purchase a package of cheap fresh mushrooms)

Worlds Best Lasagna main course
(this is basically a homemade lasagna with ground beef and some italian sausage - easy ingrediants - nothing exotic and because it is a pasta dish it goes a long way)

Homemade Bread Sticks
(cheap and easy in my breadmaker!)

Caesar Salad with homemade croutons and dressing
(very cheap on veggies only takes romaine lettuce as well as other ingrediants already in the fridge - just an investment of some anchovy paste which isnt really expensive)

Beverages are 7up for the kids and Spumante for the adults served in wineglasses (cheap Spumante tastes just as good!)

Dessert Platter with Boxed Chocolates, Mini Tarts and Gingerbread cookies
(The gingerbread men are inexpensive to make and the only cookie I need to bake as cutting down the amount of baking saves money and calories and waste) (mini tarts I am putting homemade (hence cheap!) pie crust into my mini muffin pan and dolloping pie filling in them (which I got for next to nothing from doublecouponing!), boxes of chocolates are buy one get one free on black friday!) - Voila - fancy Christmas desserts with not much work or cost!

Here's all the recipes I am using:

SHRIMP SCAMPI
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
30 medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Toss the shrimp in a bowl with the olive oil, melted butter, garlic, salt, and pepper; set aside for 10 minutes. Arrange the shrimp in a circular pattern in a round casserole dish.
Bake in the preheated oven until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

STUFFED MUSHROOMS
4 ounces bulk italian sausage, cooked
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus two tablespoons
1 lb mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed
2 green onions
Chop mushroom stems. In microwaveable pie plate using a fork, combine mushroom stems, sausage, Italian seasoning, garlic, Parmesan cheese, ½ cup Mozzarella cheese and green onions. Cover with paper towel.Microwave on HIGH (100% power) for 1 minute. Arrange mushroom caps on paper towel lined microwaveable pie plate. Spoon about 1 tablespoon sausage mixture into each cap. Sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella over the stuffed mushrooms. Microwave on HIGH (100% power) uncovered, until cheese melts, about 30 seconds.

WORLD'S BEST LASAGNA

1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

SOFT BREADSTICKS

1 1/8 cups water (70 to 80 degrees F)
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
3 teaspoons garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh basil
3 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
In bread machine pan, place the first nine ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer. Select dough setting (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water or flour if needed). When cycle is completed, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 20 portions. Shape each into a ball; roll each into a 9-in. rope. Place on greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 40 minutes or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire racks. Brush warm breadsticks with butter.

CAESAR SALAD
6 cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup mayonnaise
5 anchovy fillets, minced
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cups day-old bread, cubed
1 head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
Mince 3 cloves of garlic, and combine in a small bowl with mayonnaise, anchovies, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cut the remaining 3 cloves of garlic into quarters, and add to hot oil. Cook and stir until brown, and then remove garlic from pan. Add bread cubes to the hot oil. Cook, turning frequently, until lightly browned. Remove bread cubes from oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place lettuce in a large bowl. Toss with dressing, remaining Parmesan cheese, and seasoned bread cubes.

GINGERBREAD MEN
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup water
Cream shortening and sugar. Sift flour with salt, soda and spices. Blend flour mixture into creamed mixture alternately with molasses and water. Chill at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with large 6-8 inch gingerbreadmen cookie cutters. Lift onto lightly greased cookie sheet with broad spatula. Bake above oven center for about 12 minutes or until cookies spring back lightly in center. Do not overcook, they won't stay soft. Remove from sheets. Cool on wire racks. Makes 10 men 6-8 inches tall.

BASIC FLAKY PIE CRUST FOR TARTS
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening, chilled
3 tablespoons ice water

Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium size bowl. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water over flour. Toss mixture with a fork to moisten, adding more water a few drops at a time until the dough comes together.Gently gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling.Roll out dough, and put in a pie plate. Fill with desired filling and bake.

BUTTERFLIES AND SIGNIFICANT DAYS

2011-10-27T12:11:00.002-05:00

Those who know me know I have a lot of theories, okay some would call them crackpot theories but hey those are just the haters with no imagination LOL. Exactly 4 years ago today my now fiance asked me to marry him. This day also marks the day of my exhusband's birthday, the epic relationship that caused obsession and disturbance and stole my young years away....

Four years ago I had a nervous breakdown due to the stress of that "epic" relationship and I became obsessed with butterflies and the site of them are still calming to this day. I have decorated my home and life with symbols of the butterfly. To me I think they symbolized the change that needed to come about to instill some semblance of a life before it was too late for me.

Today as I was walking outside directly in front of my path was the biggest, most brilliant monarch butterfly just quietly waiting there as if it were waiting for me. Coincidence? I think not.....Today 4 years ago was when my life changed....

SUPPORT THE ARTS!!!

2011-10-13T09:08:00.003-05:00

PLEASE vote for MHSA in the Glee Give a Note Video Contest.

http://www.gleegiveanote.com/vote_details.php?id=129

VOTE EVERY DAY starting today. And SPREAD the word by Facebook, Twitter, Email, Phone, Shout it from the Rooftops, etc.

Everyone and anyone can vote. You can vote ONCE per day per IP address. The top vote getters will be entered to win BIG MONEY. This is a real chance for MHSA to win.

MILWAUKEE - Students from the Milwaukee High School of The Arts marched to the MPS Administration building Tuesday to protest funding cuts at their school.

They carried a coffin. Ryan Krueger says it symbolizes "the day the music died."

The students joined hundreds of parents and teachers who came to the first district budget meeting.

Next year's budget will be painful for MPS. A budget shortfall threatens art, music and physical education positions. Superintendent Bill Andrekopoulos says employee benefit costs are rising drastically while enrollment and state aid is down.

Students at the city's arts high schools say the cuts could change their whole education.

"To many the arts are the only reason they come to school," said Krueger.

MY DAUGHTER THE FASHION MODEL

2011-06-13T16:25:00.003-05:00

AQUARIUS MOON SOUNDS LIKE A BAND NAME

2011-06-10T01:57:00.003-05:00

RISING SIGN SCORPIO
Your psychological nature is bilious with aggressive impulses that spur the transformation of your being and of any situation you are involved in. You are constantly struggling to assert yourself. You cannot refrain from testing others with cutting remarks, not because you want to hurt them, but because you want to know them better through their reaction; life and the feeling of aliveness are experienced through rebellion and tension. Your aggressive attitude may equate with sly inquisition as often, you remain silent, introverted and secretive, mulling over turbulent thoughts in the depths of your mind, leaving others puzzled by your quite strange behaviour.

With this Ascendant, you come across as secretive, powerful, dominating, enduring, intuitive, assertive, charismatic, magnetic, wilful, daring, clear-sighted, passionate, creative, independent, vigorous, generous, loyal, hard-working, persevering, indomitable, possessive, shrewd, stubborn, ambitious, instinctive, tenacious, sexual, sexy, proud, intense and competitive. But you may also be aggressive, destructive, stubborn, anxious, tyrannical, perverse, sadistic, violent, self-centered, complex, critical, cruel, nasty, jealous, calculating, vulnerable and dissembling.

MOON SIGN AQUARIUS
Those born with the moon in an Air sign usually respond to situations in a way they think should fit the facts, that is, they act in a way they think others expect them to act, or they imitate the same behavior as others. This gives them the appearance of emotional coolness or non-involvement. Before turning a situation into a physical experience, and before considering the stability or practicality of the thing, or even how they may really feel about it, they tend to do and say what seems appropriate as if it were not really happening to them. In spite of what appears to be their analytical detachment, most of them are loving and loyal in relationships.

As lunar Air sign personalities, those with moon in Aquarius can be very sympathetic without being sentimental. Rarely beset with moodiness themselves, they often fail to pay attention to it in others, giving the impression they don't care. Idealistic, optimistic and friendly, they are unbiased and liberal in their treatment of people in general. Highly social, they attract friends and acquaintances from all walks of life, social and cultural backgrounds. They have difficulty focusing attention on just one person. As far as they are concerned "the more the merrier". Despite whatever eccentricity shows up in their personality, they are emotionally stable. Something in their emotional make-up gives them remarkable ability to calm those who are mentally disturbed or hysterical. When disappointed or unhappy, they focus on their activities and chores with such aplomb that others may not even realize they are upset.

Aquarius moon personalities do not want to be rushed or forced into making an emotional commitment. Once they make a commitment to an idea, project or relationship, they are tenaciously loyal and dedicated. Strong individualism and an eccentric nature can make marriage difficult. Marriage or raising a family rarely changes their established way of thinking and doing things. Though remaining independent in opinions and attitudes, more often than not, their attitudes and opinions turn out to be pretty traditional.

Women with Aquarius moon are often better friends and companions to their children than traditional nurturing mothers. Their interest in business or social affairs can distract them from ordinary domestic life. They may experience sorrow and disappointment in female relationships. Men with Aquarius moon display little jealousy or possessiveness in romantic relationships, a tendency that is sometimes interpreted by their partners as lack of love. Pursuing ideals and mental endeavors are often more important to them than amassing material wealth.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

2011-06-08T13:56:00.004-05:00

BEAUTIFUL VERONICA IS HERE NOW - MY FIRST GRANDCHILD! ABOVE IS A PICTURE OF THE BEAUTIFUL GIRL AND HER PARENTS, MY SON VERSAILLES AND HIS GIRLFRIEND...

Yet more true paranormal incidents that have happened to me...

2011-06-02T09:36:00.002-05:00

The last condo we lived in, Gene and I and the children, had several incidents as well. The first was when reflected in the glass of a fish tank we had in the living room I saw the body of someone wearing what I guess I would describe as clothing out of a Shakespearean play. The figure was pacing back and forth through the living room, but was only reflected in the glass of the fish tank. This went on for at least 20 minutes.
After that incident we had a very noisy exhaust fan above our stove that had a button you had to press very hard to turn on. We were sitting having dinner and suddenly the exhaust fan turned on by itself. This was physically impossible because of the difficult button. I then said, that fan is so loud, I can’t hear, one moment while I go turn it off. As I rounded the corner to turn it off, I literally saw the button depress and the fan then turned itself off. This happened three times in a row.
About a week after the incident with the fan, I was sweeping the kitchen floor and each time I swept I had the routine of picking up the wastebasket and sweeping under it then returning the wastebasket to it’s place. This time though before I could reach for the wastebasket, it literally levitated in front of me and was set down on the floor exactly where I normally set it down. Terrified I still resumed my sweeping and then as I was about to pick up the wastebasket it levitated again and was set back down in it’s usual place. I am not sure why or how, but I just gasped the word Thank you to my “invisible helper” and ran out of the room.
When I was a little girl I asked my grandmother to try on her beautiful opal ring. She looked very scared when I asked her this question and she told me that the opal was her birthstone and it held a large amount of power. She said if anyone else would wear it, the ring would bring disastrous events. She then told me my birthstone was an amethyst and that I should only wear that stone for power. I disregarded this story thinking it was just a story my grandmother made up to discourage me from wanting to play with her jewelry. A couple years ago when I was at the Milwaukee Public Museum I walked up to a large display of uncut amethyst. Remembering my grandmother’s story I held my hands palms down above the amethyst rock. I didn’t touch the rock at all. I then felt what could only be described as an electrical surge go through my hands. When I lifted my hands up there were physical burn marks on my palms.

A TRUE PISCES HOME

2011-05-21T16:31:00.006-05:00

Pisces---About You and Your Home

Pisces, your world is one of fantasy and imagination. Neptune is the ruling planet of fantasy and illusion, so you have a need to escape. Creating a home that is a private retreat would suit you well, especially a home by the water. If it has a seaside theme and decorated with watery colors, that would be even more fitting. You are the romantic and the feeler and live in a dream world, so a haven from the outside world is what you need to restore yourself. You prefer isolation and need time alone.

You prefer light, color and fantasy. The dreamy colors of mauve, purple, aquamarine, violet, light green, blues and sea green would be a palette that would become you. A mixture of these soft colors would create an Impressionist color scheme ideal for the Pisces, no primary colors for you. Delicate light and the colors of the sea is the perfect place to relax. The lighting for your home will also be unusual and mystical in quality.

Your furniture taste is mixture of styles, but the upholstered pieces are always soft and comfortable. Occasional tables should be round. Furnishings should always contain an ottoman because Pisces rules the feet. The furniture lines should also be graceful, flowing lines, like waves gently breaking on the shore. Mixture and variety defines your decorating.

Not only do you prefer soft colors, you want your whole house soft, so it should contain a lot of fabric in window treatments and even as wallcovering. You floor should be carpeted. All rigid lines have been eliminated in the space to create a velvety, supple environment.

Being nostalgic and sentimental, your home is filled with photos and gifts from those near and dear to you. You also love art, candles, mirrors, photography, vases and watercolors. You love to feel, so surround yourself with those objects that evoke emotion in you. Your place may appear untidy because there are a lot of things out but it is purposeful because you like to be reminded of feelings and the memories that they evoke.

Sound is also important to the Piscean, because you love music. Music is a spiritual and uplifting experience for you. Another sound that should be incorporated into your home is the sound of water, so an indoor fountain is a must.

Pisces, you are the most sensitive of the signs and very impressionable. You live in the physical world of the body but also the psychic world. Because you are easily influenced by your surroundings and the people you interact with, both need to be positive and uplifting.

Pisces, mixture and variety defines your decorating.

Design Elements---Pisces:
Theme: Pisces---I Believe

Inspiration: Mother Ocean or the Mystic (poet and dreamer)

Mood Created: Imagination, fantasy and escape from reality

Elements:

•Floors: Abstract area rugs
•Walls: Small rooms and changeable space
•Ceiling:Low and intimate
•Windows: Porthole or unusually shaped window

Degree of Contrast: Blending

Coloration:

•Dreamy, romantic colors of the sea, seafoam green, blues, aquamarine and turquoise
•Soft shades of mauve, purple and violet
•Neutrals like pale grays
•Iridescent highlights
Textures: Smooth and fluid looks

Lighting:

•Mood-setting accent lights and candles
•Theatrical lighting
Fabrics:

•Silks, transparent fabrics and wool
•Use of lots of fabric to soften harsh edges---a fabric wall treatment would be ideal for the Pisces
Furniture:

•Antiques mixed in with less traditional furnishings
•Furniture with flowing fluid lines and undulating curves, also soft and comfortable
•Recliner and ottoman
•Circular occasional tables
•Vases, rounded shapes
•Watercolors done in a Impressionistic style

Features:

•A water lily garden
•Salt-water aquarium
•Secret garden with a reflecting pool
Motif or Shapes:

•Symbols of the sea---dolphins, fish, sea turtle; waves and curls
•Round shapes and curved lines
Time of Day: Night

Paint technique #1: Colorwashing

Colorwashing is a very soft watercolor look with layers of translucent colors applied with a brush, sponge or cloth and glaze. A base coat is applied and allowed to dry. The second coat is one part color and four parts glaze and applied with short random brushstrokes or a sea sponge or cheesecloth. Allow this coat to dry until tacky to the touch and then use a stiff damp brush to reveal the base coat. The thinner the glaze the better but work in small areas because it dries quickly. Work in 3 ft square sections.

Special Notes:

1.If the basecoat and glaze mixture are close in color this method will hide wall imperfections.
2.This technique adds dimension to flat walls or more depth to plaster or stucco walls.
Paint technique #2: Sponging

Sponging creates a soft, mottled look that gives depth to walls. The method uses a sea sponge and glazes to achieve a random effect. There are two techniques for applying the glaze: sponging-on or sponging-off. With sponging-on, you apply the colored glaze with the sea sponge onto a painted surface. In sponging-off, the sponge is used to remove the wet glaze from a surface. Most home centers can provide instructions for this decorative effect.

Pisces Finishes:

Metals: Platinum & tin

Decorating Style Appropriate for a Pisces: The Sea

Pisces, your dream home would be a cottage by the sea.

On a good day, like the ocean clam, you can be serene in yourself and in your effect on others. On a bad day, you're a tempest. Okay, so perhaps that describes all of us, but here's what's so different about Pisces: The good days and the bad days are one and the same.
Your planet
What better god to rule your sign, but Neptune, Lord of the Oceans, who lends to your home a watery motif. For instance, in your design ideas, borrow from the images of the rain forest, beaches and waterfalls. You may have a sun room filled with exotic plants, for example. Or try filling vases with sand and reeds from the dunes. Sea glass might add a nice touch. In the foyer, a stone arrangement with running water through it will create the right effect.

Your element
Obviously, water is the Pisces element. Your outside property should include a pond (with fish, if possible) or a babbling brook. The backyard should certainly contain a pool with inflatable tubes of sea dragons. Consider a Jacuzzi in the master bath and a steam room in the workout room: Why not have dreams? Yours is the sign of fantasy.
Your color
Sea foam, naturally. Following the water theme, you're drawn to aquamarine, sea green, and Mediterranean blue. Iridescent tones suit you well, too. However, when your water turns to fog, you can be attracted to pale or misty shades of gray. One of your greatest design strengths, though, is a keen eye for the subtleties of shades. Understanding the relationship between color and light is also your strength, so pay attention to the effects from lampshades.
Your style
"Fluid" is the word to describe your style, which is why you like round objects and curved lines. They help to keep the energy flowing around the room. For instance, a circular coffee table instead of a square one is closer to your type; a hassock for the rounded effect, bowls and rounded vases for your objects of beauty; oval mirrors. (You'll enjoy the optical illusions of mirrors too). For the walls, think Monet and his lovely Waterlilies.
Your favorites
A meditation room where you can escape from the real world is necessary for your sensitive Pisces personality. A wine cellar may serve the purpose too. You may set aside a special place for your stereo and CDs; music is a sacred experience for Pisces. Add a display of photographs for a personal touch, particularly sentimental photos of the family or scenes of sunsets on the beach. Finally, the most personal of all Pisces possessions: the fish tank!

Home is a highly personal retreat for Pisces, a cozy haven where you recharge your emotional batteries. You have a great sense of style, and tastefully decorate every room. Silk meditation pillows, natural fibers and serene sea colors like lilac or celadon green hint at your spiritual side and the dreamy depths you keep hidden. There’s a sensual vibe throughout your living space, infused with feminine touches like scented candles and room sprays.

Pisces is an artistic sign, and with your fine aesthetic eye you’ll display treasures everywhere. Pisces rules photography, so you could hang independent film posters and framed photos. A water sign, you might live near water, or infuse water into your decorating scheme with a Zen fountain or an aquarium full of tropical fish. A houseboat or summer on a yacht equals nirvana for you.

Since Pisces have many moods, you could have a different room for each, some decadent, others spare. With your theatrical nature, you may even go for a boudoir feel, dressing your windows in silk or velvet stage curtains fastened with tasseled tiebacks, or lighting rooms with opulent Tiffany lamps and gaudy chandeliers. Your home may look like a storefront psychic’s parlor—but why not? You’re in your element with a bold touch of fantasy. Since your sign rules the New Age, spiritual or meditative undertones transform your house into a healing space.

Above all, you prize solitude, and need a wide canvas for your imagination. Home to you is a peaceful place to daydream. Yours should be filled with beautiful music, or else with the deep, resonant "sound of silence."
The Home:
The Pisces sign of the zodiac rules oceans and seas, so it only follows that this ‘sea-creature’s’ home would have quite a bit of the water element in it. The Pisces home is usually warm and welcoming without too much structure, even a bit on the chaotic side. Tidiness is not one of the words in this individual’s vocabulary, but a word that they might want to familiarize themselves with because they might actually find its affect to be quite grounding. Colors that resonate with the Pisces home include: sea green, aquamarine, lilac, and mauve. Metals that support their sense of style include; platinum, tin, and zinc. And textures to soothe their souls are those that resemble the ‘invisible touch’ of chiffon. If we stick to general rules, a home that was warm and cozy, surrounded by greenery, and overlooking the ocean would be the dream retreat that this creative, kind, and intuitive soul subconsciously craves.

Décor suggestions:

•Art and Ornaments:
As does the rest of the house, the ornamentation of the Pisces sign home will more than likely emphasize the watery theme. Sea shells, star fish, corals, and mother of pearl artifacts will cover most of the nooks and crannies of this humble abode. Paintings, photographs, and collages that depict the ocean or other aquatic themes are also a favorite of this universal and spiritual creature as are fish tanks and little indoor water fountains.

•Flowers and Plants:
Pisces love plants almost as much as they love the ocean. Ok, you got me. Nothing comes close to their love for the ocean. In general, however, aquatic plants will thrive nicely in the Piscean home as will larger, leafy, rainforest plants. Beautiful crafted glass or ceramic vases filled with a few coastal flowers would be a wonderful addition to this home’s décor as well.

•Bedroom:
The Piscean bedroom is the true depiction of a beachside cottage. Pastel colors that shine like the sun, see-through white cotton blinds that gently blow in the wind, and a fluffy white cotton rug to tickle the feet are just a few of the items that can be found in a Pisces sign bedroom. The furniture will probably be a mix of miss-matched pieces, some distressed, some rugged, but most picked up at garage sales, country shops, or by the side of the road. The key to their happiness is lightness, brightness, and ease…and that applies to their life as well as their home. A plain, painted white, pine bed…plain cotton bedding and sheets…comfy pillows with a few embroidered flowers on the pillow case...and there you go…the Piscean dream.
•Kitchen:
Pisces sign people are not materialist and therefore quite happy with the simple things in life. So this individual will not mind to have a small kitchen with just the bare necessities. He will actually prefer it. Because the smaller the space, the less ‘mandatory duty’ for him to fulfill. Plain light wood or pine would do nicely for this kitchen with tints of blue and lilac sprinkled throughout. A few rope artifacts and some distressed cabinets and shelving would also fit this décor style quite well. Light, bright, fresh, and airy with a touch of water…what else does a Pisces soul need?

Keywords: aquariums, fountains, mazes, sand, sea, veils, water

Romanceit!

Some of the suggestions above were taken from the book “Home Astrology”, written by Paul Wade. If you're really interested in creating an environment to support the Pisces soul, then this book would be a great resource to have close by!

Pisces: You need meditative space. It needs to be done up in the blues and greens even if those are not you favorite colors. Trust me, if you spend some time alone in your perfect chair surrounded by your perfect scents you will come to love your blues and greens even if they are one in that area. Gather scarves and drape them over your laps to create dim light and spend at least part of each and every day in that place. Keep out harsh light, use candle light and don’t feel selfish when you make this perfect space for yourself. You spend a lot of time serving others and you need to give yourself time in a space of your own to regenerate and regroup.

Write down your thoughts and when you dream try making a plan to carry out that dream. Force yourself to dream in lists and follow those lists to your dream. You dont’ need to know for sure that it will work because if you feel it and picture it: it will work.

Draw and write in colored markers. Stock up on paper and markers and don’t forget charcoal for when you want to smudge. Draw your dreams and hang them in your space. Cut your dreams out of magazines and tear them out of books if the book is falling apart, otherwise, keep it with your other picture books that make you dream. If you can see it, you can do it and that is key to being you.

Pisces
Imaginative, intuitive and sensitive, Pisces is a chameleon who isn't afraid to mix up different styles. She needs space to meditate and express her creativity. Watery hues like blue and green serve as a backdrop for her dreamy space that opens to the outdoors. Pisces hate feeling trapped in a space, so they need a lot of big windows that let the light in. Always surrounded by pretty things, Pisces instinctively knows where each piece should be displayed. Works of art fulfill her artistic side.

Members of this sign, which is represented by a pair of fish, tend to go with the flow, and often have difficulty choosing furnishings and
paint colors.
Strongest color: Sea green
Also favors: Watery hues like shades of green-blue
Style: You gravitate toward pretty objects. Try sea-themed elements like drawer knobs made to resemble coral.
Signature accents: Decorative masks or costumes hung on the wall, representing the artistic, chameleonlike nature of the sign.

Okay, so blues, greens and if you can find fabric in both colors at once, perfect! Notice I use the word “perfect,” in this piece and that is because you are a perfectionist in your own right. Don’t settle, Pisces, if you do you are being someone else.

Get yourself some throws to cover yourself and curl up in. Find a large chair where you can get into that fetal position and do that regeneration that only you can do as you heal at the speed of light. Remember to have some reflective items in your space so that you can stare at them and have your own mind reflected back at you. No one should invade your space no matter how much they want to unless you have decided to share your space for a short talk. You need to find you again and to do that you need YOUR area.

HAIKUS

2011-05-21T02:49:00.002-05:00

TISSUES OF LIES
TRAPPED IN THE CONSTELLATIONS
EACH IS MADE OF DUST

------------------------------------

JETS OF GAS AFLAME
SHE STANDS ON THE EDGE OF SPACE
JACK O LANTERNS BURN

------------------------------------

BLUE FEATHERS HIDDEN
HIS FALSE SHADOW, PAINTED SKIN
SHE IS DRAINING DOWN

------------------------------------

TRUTHS SCRATCHED IN THE DIRT
GOLD ICE REINDEER ON THE PORCH
IT'S ALL OVER NOW

SPRING IS SUPPOSED TO BE GREEN, RIGHT?

2011-05-02T21:22:00.002-05:00

This year it makes sense to go with greener spring cleaners, not only will the house be spring cleaned but it will smell like spring!

Here are some good potions:

* Aromatic sink scrub: Mix in a blender: a quarter cup mint leaves; one cup baking soda; and one tablespoon salt. Sprinkle it into your sink, add a little water, and scrub.

* Herbal window cleaner: Mix together in a spray bottle: two cups strained lemon balm decoction and half a cup vinegar. Spray windows then wipe dry with old newspaper or a soft cloth.

* Spicy room deodorizer: My mother is fond of simmering a mixture of cinnamon sticks and orange peels over the stove. While it does not clean anything, it is a natural way to fill the house with a delightful smell and would come in handy in place of a chemical deodorizer.

* Herbal DIY dryer sheets: You can add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil to a cloth and then throw it in the dryer with your clothes—it will make your laundry smell amazing and is much more Earth-friendly than scented dryer sheets.

* Fresh and non-toxic all purpose cleaner: There is a whole world of herbal cleaners to explore. As one more treat, here is Penny’s special recipe for homemade all-purpose cleaner, which you can find along with her other natural cleaners on her blog:

Ingredients:

* Citrus peels
* Vinegar
* Water

Instructions:

1. Fill a quart- to half-gallon-size glass jar with citrus peels. This doesn’t need to be done all at once. Just whenever you eat a citrus, put the peel in the jar.

2. When the jar is sufficiently full, pour vinegar over the peels to cover. Optional: Compress the peels first so less vinegar is used.

3. Let the mixture sit for at least two and half weeks. The vinegar will take on an orange/golden hue and smell powerfully of citrus.

4. Fill half a spray bottle with citrus-vinegar, straining as your pour. Fill the rest with water.

5. Use with a rag to clean, well, anything! It works well on sinks, mirrors, windows, floors, wooden chairs, and counters. Best of all, this is made with the citrus peels you’d otherwise be throwing out!

THERE HAS TO BE A MORE ROMANTIC SOUNDING NAME FOR THIS!

2011-04-20T14:03:00.002-05:00

THIS LOOKS AWESOME AND I AM SOOOO MAKING THIS FOR EASTER BUT COME ON - LETS NAME THIS BETTER - STARTING A POLL WHAT IS A GREAT NAME FOR THIS DISH THAT YOU ACTUALLY CAN PRONOUNCE?

Easter Kugelhopf

1/2 cup lukewarm water
3/4 cup plus 1 tsp. granulated sugar
2 (1/4 oz.) packages active dry yeast
2 sticks (1/2 lb.) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for serving
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preparation
Stir together water and 1 tsp. sugar in a bowl. Sprinkle with yeast and let stand until foamy, 5 minutes. Butter and flour a 10-cup Kugelhopf or Bundt pan.
Using an electric mixer, cream butter and remaining 3/4 cup sugar on low speed for about 30 seconds, then increase to mediumhigh and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each. (Mixture will look curdled.) Beat in lemon peel, salt and vanilla. Add yeast mixture; gradually add 2 cups flour. Beat on medium, scraping bowl, until smooth, 5 minutes. Gradually add remaining flour; beat until dough is elastic. Stir in raisins.
Butter a bowl. Transfer dough to it, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Punch dough down and stir in almonds. Transfer dough to prepared pan, cover with a towel and let rise until dough is within 1/2 inch of top of mold, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 475°F. Bake Kugelhopf until golden, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake until a cake tester comes out clean, 30 minutes. Let Kugelhopf cool for 5 minutes, then turn out of pan onto a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar; slice with a serrated knife; serve with butter.

IMMORTAL PLANTS THAT CAN'T DIE....

2011-02-23T10:12:00.002-06:00

I desperately need some of that feng shui good karma of live plants in my house but normally they either die or commit suicide....found this resource on plants that are hard to kill....

Low light conditions are always a challenge for the indoor gardener, so help is here: check out this list of low light plants that will survive (and sometimes thrive) with the least amount of light.

1. Lucky Bamboo
talked to one grower recently who said he wanted to see what would happen in he grew a pot of lucky bamboo in his dark bedroom. Two years later, the plant was still thriving. So here it is: the world's best indoor shade plant.
can be grown as hanging or trailing plants, in baskets or pots. Spider plants will survive for a long, long time in less-than-ideal light conditions, including even artificial light.
3. Golden Pothos Vine
I'm still surprised by the conditions I see these plants thriving in. Dark. Dry. Just totally un-plantlike. If you're looking for a sure-thing in shady conditions, try a pot of Golden Pothos.
4. Ferns
Not all ferns will thrive in shady corners, but it's safe to say that many of the finest are easily suited to low-light conditions.
5. Snake Plant and Mother-In-Law's Tongue
The sansevieria species are some of the best low-light plants. They're striking looking, and strikingly easy to grow.
6. Dracaena
This group includes the Ti Plants, D. Draco and other dracaena species. They're great plants for low-light conditions.
7. Aechmea Bromeliads
Surprised to see a tropical bromeliad on the list? Then try these out. Aechmea are commonly sold in flower, and a flowering aechmea will often hold its bloom and shape for months and months in poor light or artificial light conditions.

“The air was fragrant with a thousand trodden aromatic herbs...

2011-02-23T08:43:00.000-06:00

Thyme

"This easygoing herb can be crammed into tiny spaces and subjected to all manner of neglect, but it'll keep coming back, and it's available in many varieties, so it never gets dull. My current favorite is lemon thyme, which pairs well with fish or can be added to applesauce along with a squeeze of lemon juice and a dash of lemon zest."

Marjoram

"I prefer marjoram over its cousin oregano because it has a slightly sweeter, more aromatic flavor. It's also drought tolerant and grows easily in containers of all sizes. If it starts to look lanky, as with many herbs, prune the leaves to encourage bushy growth. Tastes great in stocks, soups, and sauces."

Rosemary

"This hardy plant loves the sun. It's slow growing, adapts to pots of all sizes, and can grow as big as a large shrub. It's classic in roasted potatoes, and can also relieve a headache if steeped in hot water to make an herbal tea."

Sage

"Don't keep this herb in a damp environment or it will mildew. Sage wants a sunny spot with lots of good drainage and airflow. Its potent leaves are best in dishes that it won't overpower, like roasted chicken. I also use it to make savory muffins."

DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT.....

2011-02-23T08:14:00.002-06:00

Shop Smart

Food is one of those purchases that you just can't avoid, but careful shoppers can minimize the amount spent on this necessary purchase. All it takes is a little time, patience and effort

1. Eat at Home

Dining out is an expensive proposition. Just about any nutritious meal that you buy in a formal restaurant can be made at home for a fraction of the price. Even good coffee is cheaper to make if you do it yourself. Fast food is excluded from the category, as high-calorie, low-quality food can be had a bargain price, but the impact on your long-term health overrides the benefit of short-term savings.

2. Shop With a Plan

If you stumble around the grocery store and fill your cart with everything that catches your eye, chances are you will spend a lot more money that you needed to spend. To minimize your cash outlay, prepare a shopping list before you leave home. Plan your meals for the week ahead, and make careful note of what you need to buy in order to prepare those meals. Once the list is made, purchase only the items on the list, and avoid impulse buys.

3. Put on Blinders

Grocery stores are designed to make you go through a maze to get to the most basic items you need in the hope that you will make a few impulse buys along the way. If you keep to your planned list of needed foods, you won't be tempted when you get forced down the junk food aisle to get at the milk. Because most necessities and basic cooking items are found along the outside perimeter of the store, start there and work your way around the edge of the store, only stepping into the maze to grab any leftover items on your list.

4. Eat Before You Shop

When you are hungry and you walk into a building full of food, there's a high likelihood that you are going to fill you cart with unnecessary and expensive purchases that appeal to your taste buds. To keep your costs down, eat first and shop on a full stomach.

5. Avoid Prepared Foods

Our fast-paced society encourages convenience, and the grocery store has capitalized on this trend. Ready-made meals are easy to buy, but come with a premium price tag. Instead of putting that rotisserie chicken and macaroni salad in you cart, buy the ingredients and prepare the meal yourself. The same concept applies to frozen entrées, baked goods and any other food that has been prepared in some way for added convenience.

6. Skip the Bottled Water

If you don't like the water that comes out of the tap, buy a water filter. The per-gallon cost is significantly less than the cost of bottled water - and without all the plastic bottles to discard, it's a lot easier on the environment.

7. Shop Without the Kids

Hungry, tired, cranky kids increase the amount of time it takes to get your shopping done. Every extra minute that you spend in the grocery store increases the likelihood of extra items finding their way into your cart, including toys and snacks designed to keep the kids quiet while you try to focus on finding a few bargains.

8. Buy in Bulk

Bulk buying can save you a significant amount of money. Pay attention to the prices and pick up the family size package if the per-unit cost is lower and you have a place to store it. Shopping at big-box bulk retailers like Sam's Club and Costco (NasdaqGS: COST - News) can also save on your bill if you shop there frequently enough to cover the cost of membership, but pay careful attention to your spending habits. The big boxes are often no bargain at all when compared to sales prices and coupon savings at other stores. In addition, they may encourage you to buy more than you need, driving up your grocery bill.

9. Use Store Reward Cards

If the store that you visit most frequently has a reward card, be sure to sign up. In some cases, stores raise their prices when they offer reward cards, and without the card your bill will certainly be higher. If the reward card offers other benefits, such as a ham for the holidays or a discount on gasoline, be sure to maximize your benefits by paying attention to the cutoff dates and cashing in your points before they expire.

10. Use Coupons

Coupons provide an easy way to save money. Clip them and cash them in, paying particular attention to stores that double the value of manufacturers' coupons. A number of websites also offer coupons exclusively, and they are a great place to search for discounts on the items you have on your list. If you frequent a website of your favorite brands, they will often offer discounts to their faithful public. A few minutes of surfing online can make a difference at the till.

11. Buy Locally

Locally grown or produced food is often available at a cheaper price because you don't pay for long transportation costs. Farmer's markets, fairs, and the local aisle at your grocery store are all game for deals on tasty and fresh food.

12. Look Down

Stores often place the most expensive items at eye-level. To find less expensive items, look down. Also, looking around your brand-name food can find you a cheaper generic alternative. Generic label products are often nearly identical to name-brand goods (in fact, they're often produced in the same factory), so don't pay for packaging when what you really want is the food inside.

13. Avoid the End Caps and Checkout Temptations

Those displays placed at the end of each aisle often feature premium brands. Rather than grabbing those high-priced batteries or that extra box of cereal, walk down the aisle. Chances are good that walking a few extra feet will reward you with a less expensive option.

Many grocery stores now offer checkout lines that don't feature candy. Using these lanes not only helps you avoid the temptation to spend your money on sweets, but it also encourages a healthier lifestyle.

14. Compare Prices and Stores

Some consumers have trouble calculating the cost per unit in their heads, but it's something that gets a lot easier with practice. You can even carry a calculator. Looking at the brands and comparing prices is an easy way to shave a few cents off most purchases.

The store that features the lowest average prices in your area is often the best place for routine shopping, but the higher-priced competitor may run sales on specific items that undercut the cost at your most frequented venue. Watch for these sales and take advantage of them when possible.

15. Shop for Sales

As mentioned above, sales can be a great incentive to switch stores — but only if you need the items on sale. Pay attention to sales on necessity items and stock up on non-perishables and freezer goods. Keep an eye on the prices so that you know when a sale price is merely a small savings or when it is a significant discount to the normal price.

16. Watch 'Best Before' or 'Sell By' Dates

As the "sell by" or "best before" date approaches, you are virtually guaranteed a discount. For example, grocery stores lower prices as meat ages. Ask the butcher when the meats get marked down. Most stores have a fairly regular schedule that you can learn and follow. When you get a good deal, stock your freezer so you can avoid buying when the price is high. And if you plan on freezing the food, "best before" dates shouldn't worry you; the product will stay fresh until you thaw and cook it.

17. Substitute Recipe Items

If you have a higher-priced item that reoccurs in your favorite recipes, it may be time to shake up your taste buds. Often a lower-priced alternative can be found. For instance, if you consistently bake with olive oil and you see that the price has skyrocketed, a simple switch to applesauce (something that you might even be able to make if you have an apple tree) is a great cheap and low-fat substitution for many recipes.

18. Keep Your Kitchen Stocked

A well-stocked kitchen means that you won't run out of staple items and need to buy them on the spur or the moment. Knowing what you have in the cabinet means that you can wait to make your purchases until items are on sale.

19. Shop Infrequently

Reducing the number of trips that you make to the store each week or month reduces the odds of unnecessary purchases, and minimizes the amount of gasoline spent getting there.

20. Pay Attention to Time

Weekly sales often run from mid-week to mid-week. Hold off on your shopping until after you've had a chance to clip coupons from the Sunday paper and you'll not only enjoy the sales prices but you might also get a coupon. Shopping during the evening or early morning also helps you avoid the crowds and spend less time in the store.

21. Pay In Cash

When you put groceries on your credit card and don't pay off the card in full each month, you pay interest on the purchase. To avoid this extra cost, pay in cash when you shop and keep necessities off your credit cards.

22. Check Your Bill

Electronic scanners make the shopping experience faster and more convenient, but scanners aren't perfect. Be sure to take a look at the receipt to make sure your coupons and discounts were taken into account.

AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER

2011-02-22T10:15:00.002-06:00

I don't know if I will ever live happily ever after as that just seems wayyy to easy, and way to easy has never been an expression that describes my life. However, that doesn't mean I can't decorate like I live in a fairy tale right?

Once Upon a Cottage
•A gingerbread cottage in the woods is a summer house for a princess or a playhouse for young flower fairies with gauzy wings. A small shed, decommissioned chicken coop or any simple structure with a few windows and a door borrows magical enchantment with coats of white paint on floors, walls, ceiling and trim. A flea market chandelier garlanded with paper flowers looks pretty hanging over a second-hand loveseat re-covered in a flouncy, faded chintz. Mismatched white and flower-painted china plates and teacups, old lace tablecloths transformed into window curtains, and a salvaged fireplace mantel crackle-glazed and white-washed turn a tiny retreat into a castle chamber. Suspend a white net or cheesecloth canopy from the ceiling in one corner, drape its floor-length fabric around a huge, squashy cushion with a pale cotton cover and stack a collection of fairy tale books inside for a reading nook. Fill window boxes with white petunias and keep found treasures like smooth pebbles, perfect pine cones, shells and old birds' nests in a glass front cabinet, distressed and painted white.
Fairy Tale Holiday Decorating
•This holiday season, invite the fairies to visit by creating an original seasonal décor using sparkle and bits of nature. Fill the whole house with fragrant potted white narcissus; use pots of them in every room. Add some showy pale cream and pink amaryllis in white-washed or moss-covered clay pots. Hang a long, curvy branch of white birch or aspen over the dining table, wound with strings of tiny twinkling lights and dressed up with a few clear glass baubles. Silver spray paint a collection of leathery tree leaves, pine cones, nuts, knobby decorative gourds and anything else picked up on woods rambles. Pile the shiny treasures in small heaps on side tables or use them as the centerpiece on the dining table. Wrap fallen tree branches in silvery and white organdy ribbon; anchor the branches in glass jars filled with glass pebbles from the craft store and decorate them with very small ornaments, silver jingle bells and gauze butterflies. At night, eat meals and read fairy tales aloud by candlelight.
Doors to the Imagination
•If you cultivate a sense of whimsy or communicate frequently with the little folk, give them their own front doors in your home. Some of the finest fairy doors are built right into a bookcase or the frame of a fireplace. A fairy door can be so private it cannot be opened; it has a door frame, a hinged door and doorknob, sometimes a fan window, and always an attractive paint job. It's usually less than a foot tall. Some fairy doors are located right next to the front door and look like a miniature version of it. Others have furnished rooms hidden behind them that can be glimpsed through the window in the door or examined when the door opens. Still others mysteriously light up at night. A warm, inviting glow shines through the door's glass panel or around the door jamb, although the inhabitants of the space behind the door are never seen.

The Story Of My Life Thus Far.....

2011-02-17T02:08:00.002-06:00

Joke me something awful just like kisses on the necks of "best friends"*
We're the kids who feel like dead ends
And I want to be known for my hits, not just my misses
I took a shot and didn't even come close
At trust and love and hope
And the poets are just kids who didn't make it
And never had it at all

And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby, half dead
From comparing myself to everyone else around me

Please put the doctor on the phone 'cause I'm not making any sense
Blame everyone but me for this mess
And my back has been breaking from this heavy heart
We never seemed so far
I'm hopelessly hopeful, you're just hopeless enough
But we never had it at all

And the record won't stop skipping
And the lies just won't stop slipping
And besides my reputation's on the line
We can fake it for the airwaves
Force our smiles, baby, half dead
From comparing myself to everyone else around me
to everyone else around me
everyone else around me
everyone else around me

Fall Out Boy

MISSION 1 - SAVING THE LIVES OF MY GROCERIES

2011-02-03T11:00:00.003-06:00

1. Clear Up the Cupboard
•Consolidate
Stop tossing your cookies (and crackers): Store open packs properly
•Don't just roll and go
For stay-crisp cereal and chips, try Copco Bag Caps ($6 and up, copco.com), which clip onto bags for a tight seal — and easier pouring
•Swap your stock
Move older cans to the front (so they'll be used first) when unpacking new ones

2. Learn These Cold Truths
Never put dairy or eggs in the refrigerator door, where temps are highest. Put leftovers near the front so you'll remember to eat them within four days.
The only place food will stay safe indefinitely is in the freezer; just pop in eats while still fresh. To pack: Fill containers nearly to the top; tightly wrap items in plastic or, for zip-seal bags, squeeze out the air.

3. Stop Guessing
Fact: You can't tell if food is spoiled solely by its look or scent (but throw away ASAP if either is funky). For a when-to-toss guide, check out stilltasty.com, which pulls info from the FDA and other food-safety sources.

4. Reuse by the Rules
Not all containers are food-safe a second time.
•Glass jars clean easily for refilling with sauces, salad dressings, soups, and more
•Margarine/dairy tubs and takeout containers aren't dishwasher-safe and can even degrade if hand-washed
•Zip-seal plastic bags: While your mom might have done the old rinse-and-reuse trick, it's not a good idea, food-safety-wise. These hard-to-clean bags can harbor bacteria

5. End Container Chaos!
When storing empties, nest smaller ones inside big ones. Slide lids vertically alongside the stack, or stash them upright in a mail sorter.
To make hunting easier, use a baking pan with sides as a slide-out tray in your cabinet.

6. Reserve Judgment
Home vacuum sealing helps keep food fresh by taking out air, the main culprit in staleness and freezer burn. The process — typically using plastic bags and an appliance that sucks out the air — is really only worth the trouble and cost if you buy in bulk and freeze perishables or store dry goods for months (not weeks). Our GHRI pick: Debbie Meyer/Reynolds Handi-Vac ($25; hsn.com).

7. Square It Away
Consider shape the next time you buy storage bowls: Ones with corners maximize shelf space.

MISSION POSSIBLE?

2011-02-03T10:53:00.004-06:00

I am on a mission this month to up the money and decrease the excess! I will be posting all kinds of classified information to complete this mission, 99 where's my briefcase?

WINTER DREAMS

2010-12-20T23:12:00.003-06:00

All the leaves are brown
And the sky is grey
I went for a walk
On a winter's day
I'd be safe and warm
If I was in L.A.
California dreamin'
On such a winter's day."

2010-11-28T23:59:00.002-06:00

Now Winter Nights Enlarge

Thomas Campion

Now winter nights enlarge
The number of their hours,
And clouds their storms discharge
Upon the airy towers.
Let now the chimneys blaze,
And cups o’erflow with wine;
Let well-tuned words amaze
With harmony divine.
Now yellow waxen lights
Shall wait on honey love,
While youthful revels, masques, and courtly sights
Sleep’s leaden spells remove.

This time doth well dispense
With lovers’ long discourse;
Much speech hath some defence,
Though beauty no remorse.
All do not all things well;
Some measures comely tread,
Some knotted riddles tell,
Some poems smoothly read.
The summer hath his joys
And winter his delights;
Though love and all his pleasures are but toys,
They shorten tedious nights.

THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS

2010-11-03T02:18:00.005-05:00

The Harvest Moon
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It is the Harvest Moon! On gilded vanes
And roofs of villages, on woodland crests
And their aerial neighborhoods of nests
Deserted, on the curtained window-panes
Of rooms where children sleep, on country lanes
And harvest-fields, its mystic splendor rests!
Gone are the birds that were our summer guests,
With the last sheaves return the laboring wains!
All things are symbols: the external shows
Of Nature have their image in the mind,
As flowers and fruits and falling of the leaves;
The song-birds leave us at the summer's close,
Only the empty nests are left behind,
And pipings of the quail among the sheaves.

AVALON'S TWILIGHT

2010-10-20T19:06:00.003-05:00

This poem is written for me by a Deviantart poet and friend.

For Avalon
by ~thumbing

What makes us all, where do we hail?
From things since past, things so far
Our memories, making our essence frail
Do make our decisions on what we are.

Mostly consisting of the mundane,
So easily forgotten, and yet there are others,
Others as treacherous as Abel's Cain,
Reminding us of what makes up such brothers

And lastly, there’s what brings us purpose
An Avalon, or paradise if you will
But just like Arthur, who gave us bliss;
The things that age, will decay, will lie still

But these memories are never truly gone
For when this Avalon is cast into the hour
Where day meets night, and dusk is dawn
These memories will regain their former power

This rarity in life brings life essence,
These Twilights of Avalon so beautifully hidden.
That through our memories’ evanescence
A new pleasure to ourselves, we have given

ALL HALLOW'S EVE

2010-10-15T10:38:00.003-05:00

Halloween

Witches flying past on broomsticks,
Black cats leaping here and there,
White-robed spooks on every corner,
Mournful moaning in the air,
Goblins peering out of windows,
Spirit-things that rap and run-
But don't be scared-it's just October,
Having one last hour of fun......

TIME DIMENSIONS

2010-10-15T10:32:00.003-05:00

There is literally a thinning of the veils between dimensional realities, and the splitting of timelines. There is overwhelming evidence from a multitude of sources, that there is something very big going on right now. In consequence, we are moving from third-dimensional time to fourth-dimensional time. [emphasis added]

Time is no longer simply experienced in linear fashion. Multiple timelines are beginning to appear, based on the power of our choices. These timelines have just begun to split. Many of us are experiencing this split as the sense of a widening gulf between our personal reality and global mass consciousness, or consensual reality.

There is a sense of disorientation in regard to world events, a feeling of walking between worlds, with much of our dreamtime consciousness engaged in building a new world, shaping it with our highest intentions, and outpicturing it into the collective as a timeline of new possibilities. Many of us are engaged, not so much in resisting or attempting to make sense of an old paradigm in its final dance of death, but in visioning the new world rising from the ashes of the old. As we travel deeper into fourth dimensional time, the same events will be experienced very differently in different timelines. [emphasis added]

There could be potentially an infinite number of timelines, but there are three primary ones corresponding with different dimensional realities. Here’s a scenario for how this could manifest:

The third dimensional timeline will continue to be fueled by the consciousness of duality, grinding its way in fulfillment of karmic laws to environmental catastrophe, political insanity, and social chaos. This may include major earth changes during the coming years, in response to celestial events / energies, to the mass thought forms of those who choose this reality, and to the changing magnetic fields of the Earth. The density of this Earth will be too heavy to withstand the high-vibrational incoming energies. All the major doom and gloom prophecies we hear about have relevance to this timeline, and this timeline only.

A fourth dimensional timeline will gradually emerge through the collective visions of those whose souls have called them to build a new world. Its vibrational frequency will be such that the pro-evolutionary energies currently pouring through Earth’s auric fields will lift her and those who choose to move with her into a quantum leap of awakened spiritual consciousness. As dimensional veils thin, we will experience a reunion with our star brothers and sisters. There could still be an experience of earth changes and chaos, but not nearly as intense, and will be transmuted quickly. The prophecies of heaven on Earth have relevance to this timeline.

A fifth dimensional timeline is also being created. This timeline, governed by the laws of mastery, is about using the incoming evolutionary energies to activate full soul and monadic union. We will use the incoming cosmic energies to fully transfigure our individual and planetary bodies into bodies of light, preparing the way for the fourth dimensional Earth to follow in good time. The prophecies of planetary ascension have relevance to this timeline.

AUTUMN IS HERE...

2010-09-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

An Autumn Evening by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Dark hills against a hollow crocus sky
Scarfed with its crimson pennons, and below
The dome of sunset long, hushed valleys lie
Cradling the twilight, where the lone winds blow
And wake among the harps of leafless trees
Fantastic runes and mournful melodies.

The chilly purple air is threaded through
With silver from the rising moon afar,
And from a gulf of clear, unfathomed blue
In the southwest glimmers a great gold star
Above the darkening druid glens of fir
Where beckoning boughs and elfin voices stir.

And so I wander through the shadows still,
And look and listen with a rapt delight,
Pausing again and yet again at will
To drink the elusive beauty of the night,
Until my soul is filled, as some deep cup,
That with divine enchantment is brimmed up

FAJITA ROMANCE

2010-07-29T12:48:00.001-05:00

AUTHENTIC Mexican Fajitas - my mom's recipe
Ingredients –
Round steak or fajita meat
FRESH jalapeno peppers (1 -2 is plenty) not jarred! (slice thinly)
FRESH cilantro (not dried) diced (you use this instead of lettuce)
FRESH limes (cut in wedges)
Queso cheese (this is the Mexican version of Feta cheese but you can substitute
shredded Mexican mix cheese)
FRESH tomatoes (diced)
Package of CORN (not flour) tortillas

Diced up fajita meat (you can use cheap round steak and put meat tenderizer on
it)
(Gene fried it in olive oil last night and put a couple shakes of McCormick
seasoning on it that is Fajita flavored but if you don’t have that garlic and
oregano and maybe a dash of chili powder or whatever combo would be fine – don’t
use the packaged fajita mix though – what you want to do is have dry spices on
the meat.)
After you fry the meat in the pan – remove the meat and drizzle a bit more olive
oil in the pan. Then quick fry the tortillas for just a few seconds on each
side and stack those on a separate plate. To assemble place all ingredients
except limes in to tortilla shell and squeeze lime wedge over it. Fold as you
would a taco.

PERFECT 2 BREAK UP A MANIC MONDAY - COFFEE & OLD SCHOOL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2010-07-12T08:37:00.001-05:00

OLD SCHOOL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) bag semisweet chocolate chips, or chunks
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt

Directions
Evenly position 2 racks in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone sheets. (If you only have 1 baking sheet, let it cool completely between batches.)

Whisk the sugars, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl until smooth.

Whisk the flours, baking soda, and salt in another bowl. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon; take care not to overmix. Stir in the chocolate chips or chunks and dried fruit.

Scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough onto the prepared pans. Wet hands slightly and roll the dough into balls. Space the cookies about 2 inches apart on the pans. Bake until golden but still soft in the center, about 12 to 14 minutes, depending on how chewy or crunchy you like your cookies. Transfer hot cookies with a spatula to a rack to cool. Serve.

Store cookies in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 days.

MAGICAL MOON GARDENS

2010-06-03T15:06:00.001-05:00

Many night-blooming plants are white, and give a luminous appearance in the moonlight. If you plant them in a circle or a crescent shape, when they bloom, you'll have the moon herself right there "as above, so below." There are a number of plants that open at night -- mix them in with silver-foliaged day bloomers.

Night Blooming Plants
•Moonflower: Yes, it should be painfully obvious, but the Moonflower really does bloom at night. It releases a slightly lemony scent when it opens up, and during the day the white flowers are tightly shut. Some species of this climbing plant, a cousin of the Morning Glory, can get up to eight feet long*. The flowers, when open, are around 5 - 6" in diameter.
•Evening Primrose: This perennial spreads rapidly, and can cover a lot of ground for you. The pale pinkish-white flowers open at dusk, and release a sweet aroma.
•Night Phlox: these pretties open up at dusk, and have a fragrance reminiscent of honey or vanilla.
•Evening Stock: the tiny purple and pink flowers aren't very fancy, but they smell divine when they open at night.
•Angel's Trumpet: Another vine, this annual spreads like crazy. Its trumpet-shaped, white flowers have a bell-like appearance when open.
•Night Gladiolus: this plant isn't actually nocturnal, but that's when the creamy yellow flowers smell the strongest -- it's a very spicy scent that's a glorious addition to any night garden.
Day Blooming White and Silver Plants
•Dusty Millers
•Silver Thyme
•Lamb's Ears
•Mugwort (Artemesia)
•Silver Sage
•White vegetables such as Alba eggplants or Baby Boo or Lumina pumpkins
Herbs and Flowers with Lunar Connections
•Camphor
•Eucalyptus
•Gardenia
•Jasmine
•Moonwort
•Sandalwood
•Willow
•Water Lily
•Sleepwort

CREATING AN ELEMENTAL GARDEN

2010-06-03T15:04:00.002-05:00

Each of the four directions is associated with an element. North is connected to earth, east to air, south to fire and west to water. To plant your elemental garden, figure out which plants are connected with those particular elements -- and this will vary depending on where you live. For example, earth is associated with stability and security. Why not plant some herbs there that carry the same associations? Bryony, cinquefoil, honeysuckle, and pennyroyal* are all related to earth.

For the east section of your garden, which is tied into the themes of air, use plants connected with inspiration, wisdom and knowledge. Sage, marjoram, mugwort and members of the mint family are perfect for this quarter of the circle. In the south, select plants related to the passionate qualities of fire, such as basil, betony, rosemary and rue. Finally, the west quadrant is where your water-related plants should go -- hyssop, yarrow, chamomile and ivy will do well in this section.

LOVE & BASIL

2010-05-31T07:21:00.002-05:00

PERFECT SUMMER WEATHER, PERFECT THAT MY LOVE WAS HOME IF ONLY FOR TWO DAYS, PERFECT I HAVE AN EXTRA DAY OFF :) - MY PERFECT DAYS

I planted more tomatoes as can't have enough caprese salad this summer, also some more basil (same reason), and too too cool - a blueberry bush! Found this really delicious salad I am trying, too simple - watermelon cubes, blueberries, red onion and romaine lettuce dressed with vinagrette. Sticking with fruit and salads all week this week so that diet works (well I am hoping it does and just saying no to peanut brittle ben and jerrys icecream lol)!

Today since my honey is working I am kicking back - going to catch up on my tv shows (yikes havent had time for vampire diaries or flash forward time to catch up before they leave for summer) and doing laundry and organizing my room. Also planning serious outside time, better get a move on - bbqing, finishing my novel on the patio - all the summer pleasures.

perfect days of summer - mmmmmm - now can't wait for vacation time to come with my true love - definitely perfect days then :)

LOVE & THYME

2010-05-22T14:27:00.004-05:00

TIME WONT GIVE ME TIME AND TIME MAKES LOVERS FEEL LIKE THEY GOT SOMETHING REAL, BUT YOU AND ME, WE KNOW THEY GOT NOTHING BUT TIME.....

This summer I am in love. Nothing's changed but something in my heart has deepened and become so real. I love love love him and want to be near him all the time, just laying my head on his chest, holding hands or watching tv together. Sigh, he is gone though, he has to drive cross country now in his truck and I have to be the understanding one and let him do what he loves just like he lets me do what I love. I hate that we are apart, when I finally fall in love I only get to see him 4 days a month?!!! Somehow that fits the way my life goes...sigh....

But keeping busy this start of summer weekend, I planted 4 container gardening pots today :) The largest one is herbs, so far I have something called international basil, oregano, chives and rosemary started in my herb pot. The second pot is all different tomato plants, large ones, small ones, yellow ones and orange ones. I planted a cayenne pepper right in the middle so this is my salsa pot. Next up is a smaller pot that has strawberries in it, the plants are so pretty pretty pretty, they have tiny strawberries and little white flowers. The last pot I planted today is called my salad pot, it has romaine lettuce and beefsteak tomatoes in it. Now it just needs oil and vinegar :)

Next weekend I am doing more pots, I have to get some more herbs like dill and oh yes definitely thyme - I never have enough thyme....time for my love or thyme for my garden.

My plans this summer include making champagne jelly, yes it is jelly made of champagne what better for a lost girl then that? I am also making little witchy bags of herbs, stuffing them with magic, lavendar seeds and dried herb pieces. Plus I am making some magical blends of herbs by potting them into vinegars, olive oils and maybe some vodka...yummm

Herbs I need to get for next weekend - thyme, dill, lemon basil, cinnamon basil, fresh mint, italian parsley, and lavendar. I am also going to pot some more types of lettuce enough for lots of salads!

Now on to cleaning, have to get the sage out and cleanse the house not to mention the lemon furniture polish and the steam mop and all that fun stuff. At least when my love comes home, it will be really really nice - the perfect home. sigh.....

Yes Cookie Monster, Frugal begins with the letter F and so does the word Food

2010-04-26T09:05:00.001-05:00

Use up vegetables
1. Leftover mashed potatoes from dinner? Make them into patty shapes the next morning, and cook them in butter for a pretty good "mock hash brown."

2. Don't toss those trimmed ends from onions, carrots, celery, or peppers. Store them in your freezer, and once you have a good amount saved up, add them to a large pot with a few cups of water and make homemade vegetable broth. This is also a great use for cabbage cores and corn cobs.

3. Don't toss broccoli stalks. They can be peeled and sliced, then prepared just like broccoli florets.

4. If you have to dice part of an onion or pepper for a recipe, don't waste the rest of it. Chop it up, and store it in the freezer for the next time you need diced onion or peppers.

5. Roasted root vegetable leftovers can be turned into an easy, simple soup the next day. Add the veggies to a blender, along with broth or water to thin them enough to blend. Heat and enjoy.

6. If you're preparing squash, don't toss the seeds. Rinse and roast them in the oven, just like you would with pumpkin seeds. The taste is pretty much the same.

7. Celery leaves usually get tossed. There's a lot of good flavor in them. Chop them up and add them to meatloaf, soups, or stews.

8. Use up tomatoes before they go bad by drying them in the oven. You can then store them in olive oil in the refrigerator (if you plan on using them within a week) or in the freezer.

9. Canning is always a good option. If you're doing tomatoes, you can use a boiling-water bath. If you're canning any other type of veggie, a pressure canner is necessary for food safety.

10. Before it goes bad, blanch it and toss it in the freezer. This works for peas, beans, corn, carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and leafy greens like spinach and kale.

11. Too many zucchini? Make zucchini bread or muffins. If you don't want to eat the bread now, bake it and freeze it, then defrost when you're ready to eat it.

12. Pickle it. Cucumbers are the first veggie most of us think of pickling, but in reality, just about any vegetable can be preserved through pickling.

Cut down on fruit waste
13. Make smoothies with fruit before it goes bad. Berries, bananas, and melons are great candidates for this use-up idea.

14. Jam is really easy to make, and will keep for up to a year if you process the jars in a hot-water bath. If you don't do the water-processing part, you can keep the jam in the refrigerator for a month, which is a lot longer than the fruits would have lasted.

15. Dry your fruit and store it in the freezer or in airtight containers.

16. Make fruit leather.

17. Make a big fruit salad or "fruit kebabs" for your kids. For some reason, they seem to eat more fruit if it's in these "fancier" forms.

18. Use up the fall bounty of apples by making applesauce or apple butter.

19. Don't throw out those watermelon rinds! Pickled watermelon rind is a pretty tasty treat.

20. Make a fruit crumble out of almost any fruit you have on hand. Assemble and bake it now, or leave it unbaked and store it in the freezer for a quick dessert.

Put extra grains to good use
21. Make croutons out of day-old bread.

22. Turn day-old bread into homemade bread crumbs.

23. Freeze leftover bread. This way you'll have day-old on hand whenever you need bread crumbs or croutons rather than using fresh bread.

24. All of those little broken pieces of pasta in the bottom of the box? Collect them and mix with rice and veggies for a simple side dish.

25. A few tablespoons of leftover oatmeal isn't enough for a meal, but it is great sprinkled on top of yogurt.

26. Add chopped bread to a soup. It will dissolve and thicken the soup.

27. Made too many pancakes for breakfast? Put them in the freezer, then toss in the toaster for a fast, tasty weekday breakfast. Ditto waffles.

28. If you make plain white or brown rice with dinner, use leftovers for breakfast the next morning by adding them to oatmeal. This provides extra fiber and allows you to use up that rice.

29. If you or your kids don't like the bread crusts on your sandwiches, save these bits and pieces in the freezer to turn into bread crumbs later. Just throw the crusts into a food processor or coffee grinder to make them into crumbs. Season as you like.

30. If you have just a smidge of baby cereal left in the box, and it's not enough for a full meal, add it to your baby's pureed fruit. It adds bulk and fiber, and keeps baby full longer.

Make the most of meat
31. Don't toss those chicken bones after you eat the chicken. Boil them to make chicken stock.

32. Ditto for bones from beef and pork.

33. The fat you trim from beef can be melted down and turned into suet for backyard birds.

34. Turn leftover bits of cooked chicken into chicken salad for sandwiches the next day.

35. Use leftover roast beef or pot roast in an easy vegetable beef soup the next day by adding veggies, water, and the cooking juices from the meat.

Use dairy before it expires
36. If you've got a few chunks of different types of cheese sitting around after a party, make macaroni and cheese.

37. Eggs can be frozen. Break them, mix the yolks and whites together, and pour into an ice cube tray. Two frozen egg cubes is the equivalent of one large egg.

38. You can also freeze milk. Leave enough room in the container for expansion, and defrost in the refrigerator.

39. Use cream cheese in mashed potatoes or white sauces to give them thickness and tang.

40. Put Parmesan cheese into the food processor with day-old bread to make Parmesan bread crumbs. This is excellent as a coating for eggplant slices, pork, or chicken.

Get the most out of herbs
41. Chop fresh herbs and add them to ice cube trays with just a little water. Drop whole cubes into the pan when a recipe calls for that type of herb.

42. You can also freeze herbs by placing them in plastic containers. Certain herbs, such as basil, will turn black, but the flavor will still be great.

43. Make pesto with extra basil or parsley.

44. Dry herbs by hanging them by their stems in a cool, dry location. Once they're dry, remove them from the stems and store them in airtight containers.

Don't waste a drop
45. Leftover coffee in the carafe? Freeze it in ice cube trays. Use the cubes for iced coffee or to cool down too-hot coffee without diluting it. You can do the same with leftover tea.

46. If there's a splash or two of wine left in the bottle, use it to de-glaze pans to add flavor to whatever you're cooking.

47. If you have pickle juice left in a jar, don't pour it down the drain. Use it to make a fresh batch of refrigerator pickles, or add it to salad dressings (or dirty martinis).

48. You can also freeze broth or stock in ice cube trays, and use a cube or two whenever you make a pan sauce or gravy.

49. If there's just a bit of honey left in the bottom of the jar, add a squeeze or two of lemon juice and swish it around. The lemon juice will loosen up the honey, and you have the perfect addition to a cup of tea.

Finally...
50. If you can't think of any way to use that food in the kitchen, compost it. Everything except for meat and dairy will work in a compost pile, and at least your extra food can be used for something useful -- such as growing more food!

AQUARIUS SACHET

2010-04-23T13:20:00.001-05:00

3 parts lavender
2 parts patchouli
1 part benzoin
1part mace
1 part mint

Tie in gray cloth.

THE ENERGIES OF THE MOON PHASES

2010-04-22T17:00:00.001-05:00

Below is a list of Moon phases, and the energy they create.

New Moon

New beginnings, fresh starts, optimism, hope and faith,

Waxing Moon

Building, accomplishments, creativity, strength, growth and learning, positive transformation

Full Moon

Abundance, harvest, wish-fulfillment, manifesting desires, sexuality, achieving all dreams, protection

Waning Moon

Letting go, clearing away, cleansing, releasing, shedding old patterns, undoing bindings, opening up problem-knots, making space

Dark Moon

Rest, Peace, deep wisdom, divination, contacting the guru within, letting things die away completely

HERBS TO MAKE ME PRETTY

2010-04-22T16:36:00.002-05:00

Boost your metabolism with ...

GREEN TEA EXTRACT

HOW IT WORKS: Green tea contains compounds called catechins, a class of antioxidants which have been associated with an increased metabolism and the ability to stimulate fat burning. In a 2005 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a group of men who consumed 690 milligrams of green tea extract per day lost more weight in three months than a control group (an average of 5.3 pounds versus. 2.9 pounds). Previous studies have shown that green tea causes weight loss in women, too.

BEST BUY: Puritan's Pride Green Tea Extract capsules or Herbal Authority Green Tea liquid (puritan.com)

DOSAGE: Two 400 mg capsules a day; 10 to 20 drops twice daily. Take capsules or add liquid extract to one cup of tea or combine it with food. "I like to put it in soups and spaghetti sauce," says Letha Hadady, author of Feed Your Tiger: The Asian Diet Secret for Permanent Weight Loss and Vibrant Health (Rodale, 2007).

WATCH OUT: Green tea can alleviate water retention, but it also may cause diarrhea and nervousness.

Burn fat with ...

FISH OIL

HOW IT WORKS: Fish oil's omega-3 fatty acids help change the way the body uses fat: Instead of storing it, the body burns fat as fuel. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007, Australian researchers found that both fish oil and exercise independently reduced body fat. But a combination of the two--the study subjects walked briskly three times a week for 45 minutes and consumed 1.9 grams of fish oil daily--was even more effective. "Fish oil also seems to stop some kinds of fat cravings," says Julia Ross, director of Recovery Systems Clinic in Mill Valley, Calif.

BEST BUY: Nordic Naturals Omega or Ultimate Omega Fish Oil soft gels (nordicnaturals.com)

DOSAGE: 1000 to 2000 mg daily.

WATCH OUT: Start with a low dosage; higher dosage may disrupt sleep, says Ross.

Stop cravings with ...

L-GLUTAMINE

HOW IT WORKS: When blood sugar levels drop, cravings tend to follow because your brain isn't getting the fuel it needs. "L-glutamine, an amino acid, instantly fuels the brain, which stops the code red that makes you crave sweets and starchy foods," says Ross. Evidence also suggests that L-glutamine might facilitate weight loss by affecting the conversion and storage of calories. In a 1996 study at Duke University Medical Center, researchers found that supplementation with L-glutamine caused weight loss in mice.

BEST BUY: NOW 500 mg L-glutamine capsules (nowfoods.com)

DOSAGE: Two 500-mg capsules three times a day between meals for one to two months. For the fastest effect, let the capsules dissolve under your tongue.

Beat a sweet tooth with ...

GYMNEMA SYLVESTRE

HOW IT WORKS; Derived from a plant that grows wild in India and Africa, gymnema has been shown to reduce the ability to taste sweetness. Gymnema molecules are similar to glucose and fill the taste bud receptors on the tongue, making it seem like you've gotten a sugar fix. One landmark study, published in the journal Physiology & Behavior in 1983, found that people who took a dose of gymnema had a diminished perception of sweetness and, when offered snack foods, ate fewer calories than did control subjects.

BEST BUY: Puritan's Pride Gymnema Sylvestre tablets or Ayurceutics Gymnema capsules (puritan.com)

DOSAGE: 300 mg two to three times a day.

WATCH OUT: High doses have been linked with low blood sugar, so use in recommended amounts.

Burn fat & boost your metabolism with ...

GUGGUL

HOW IT WORKS: An Ayurvedic remedy, guggul is used for relieving joint pain, lowering cholesterol, and aiding weight loss. In a 1999 study conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska and Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, people who took 750 mg of guggul each day and did a combination of strength and aerobic training workout three times a week for six weeks lost an average of six pounds; those who exercised but did not take guggul lost only a half to one pound. "Guggul helps the body metabolize fat and improves thyroid function by increasing thyroid hormone levels," says John Douillard, Ph.D., director of the LifeSpa School of Ayurveda.

BEST BUY: Banyan Botanical Triphala Guggulu capsules (banyanbotanicals.com)

DOSAGE: 500 mg, three times a day for three months.

Get energized with ...

REISHI MUSHROOMS

HOW IT WORKS: Sometimes harvested in the wild, where they grow on fallen logs, reishi mushrooms are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to build strength and immunity and to fight fatigue. That may be why they work as weight loss supplements, says Hadady, adding that evidence of reishi's effectiveness in weight loss is only anecdotal. The logic: "It's much easier to stick with healthy eating and exercise if you feel strong and energetic," says Hadady. In Chinese medicine, reishi--also known as ganoderma--is used to treat hypertension

Yet more conspiracy theories

2010-03-25T08:15:00.001-05:00

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846..
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.

Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head

Now it gets really weird.

Lincoln 's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's Secretary was named Lincoln
.Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.

Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.

Now hang on to your seat.

Lincoln was shot at the theatre named 'Ford'.
Kennedy was shot in a car called ' Lincoln ' made by 'Ford'.

Lincoln was shot in a theater and his assassin ran and hid in a warehouse.
Kennedy was shot from a warehouse and his assassin ran and hid in a theater.

Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...

A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe , Maryland
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

WHO FIGURED THIS OUT?

INCREDIBLE
1) Fold a NEW American $20 bill in half...

2) Fold again, taking care to fold it exactly as below

3) Fold the other end, exactly as before

4) Now, simply turn it over...

What a coincidence! A simple geometric fold creates a catastrophic premonition printed on all $20 bills!!!

Coincidence???

YOU DECIDE

As if that wasn't enough
Here is what you've seen...

First, the Pentagon on fire

Second, the Twin Towers .

DOUBLE COINCIDENCE ON A SIMPLE $20 BILL
Disaster (Pentagon)
Disaster ( Twin Towers ) ??

Surprizingly: 9 + 11 = 20 ($20)!

this is one history lesson most people will probably
not mind reading!

YET MORE JELLYFISH....

2010-03-16T08:43:00.002-05:00

Update on the Jellyfish Conspiracy
03/16/10
It has no bones, blood or brains, but the jellyfish has survived in our oceans for more than 500 million years. Now, its numbers are exploding. Why?

WASHINGTON – In a surprising discovery about where higher life can thrive, scientists for the first time found a shrimp-like creature and a jellyfish frolicking beneath a massive Antarctic ice sheet.
Six hundred feet below the ice where no light shines, scientists had figured nothing much more than a few microbes could exist.
That's why a NASA team was surprised when they lowered a video camera to get the first long look at the underbelly of an ice sheet in Antarctica. A curious shrimp-like creature came swimming by and then parked itself on the camera's cable. Scientists also pulled up a tentacle they believe came from a foot-long jellyfish.
"We were operating on the presumption that nothing's there," said NASA ice scientist Robert Bindschadler, who will be presenting the initial findings and a video at an American Geophysical Union meeting Wednesday
More interesting facts –
Was this giant glowing aerial presence just a satellite — or a sign of intelligent life in the universe? That's what scientists are asking when a strange, eerily familiar shape showed up in a photo of Norway's Northern Lights.
The aurora borealis — oddball illumination caused by iodized atoms in extreme northern latitudes — are weird enough as it is without something like this showing up. Here, in a story by the Mail Online about the image captured by an amateur photographer, reporter Claire Bates fields educated guesses as to what exactly this thing is.
The photographer first assumed the odd optical effect was a spot on his camera lens. But after he posted his photographs on Spaceweather.com he was inundated with emails from interested experts from around the world.
Apparently every theory makes sense — but not completely enough to make a solid explanation.
I see that the Space Shuttle Atlantis’s return to Earth has been delayed whilst NASA tried to establish what a mystery object is that they think may have come from the shuttle’s cargo bay, though the pictures of the object concerned have NASA scratching their heads.

My Original Post on the Subject –
MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2009
Sea Jellies - It gets curiouser and curiouser
Why is no one else questioning this?
The Great Jellyfish Conspiracy
• Fact #1 A potentially "immortal" jellyfish species that can age backward—the Benjamin Button of the deep—is silently invading the world's oceans, swarm by swarm, a recent study says. Like the Brad Pitt movie character, the immortal jellyfish transforms from an adult back into a baby, but with an added bonus: Unlike Benjamin Button, the jellyfish can do it over and over again—though apparently only as an emergency measure. Another mystery is how the jellyfish achieve their remarkable age reversal. Miglietta speculates that the creatures have very effective cellular repair mechanisms that allow them to age without incurring the usual ravages of time. Like cancer cells, "some cells of this jellyfish that were supposed to [die] … are able to switch off some genes and to switch on some other genes, reactivating genetic programs that were used in earlier stages of the life cycle," Piraino said.
• Fact #2 Recently in the news the latest crop circles are in a detailed form of a jellyfish as you can see on this link http://weeklyworldnews.com/alien-alert/8672/jellyfish-crop-circle/
• Fact #3 In Friday morning's news - A lightning sprite in the form of a jellyfish - here is a link and definition of lightning sprites - (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090611/sc_livescience/strangelightninglookslikejellyfish
So let's see we have mysterious swarms of jellyfish that can age backwards and we don't know where they came from or how they can do it, we have crop circles that appeared in a very detailed picture of jellyfish, and we have a lightning sprite (lightning sprites are linked to UFOs among other things) that is also in the form of a jellyfish. Why is no one else questioning this?!

The object was caught on the shuttle’s cameras purely by chance as the astronauts were conducting a last minute once over of the shuttle’s exterior prior to its planned return today. Resembling a jelly fish, the object could be any number of things which may or may not be considered critical for Atlantis’s safe return to Earth with NASA stating that it could be anything from an ice formation to piece of plastic trimming.

DO WE ALL WEAR MASKS?

2010-03-12T20:06:00.003-06:00

One favorite collection of mine are Venetian masks. I always wondered why I was so strongly drawn to them, if it was from a past life experience or because I somehow always felt that I should wear some sort of a mask to be the acceptable, perfect wife, mother, daughter or whatever role I was playing at the time.

I have recently been studying German Expressionism and was struck by the portrayal of Street by Kirchner. His use of color portrayed a kind of mask on the women's faces and while art historians feel that Kirchner was making his subjects threatening with his use of color on their faces, I feel Kirchner was acknowledging the masks that women must wear in order to fit into society.

We Wear the Mask
by Paul Laurence Dunbar

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,
We wear the mask!

Don't quit 'til 47. Then we'll turn it up, and we'll play a little faster.

2010-01-14T21:02:00.003-06:00

This song lyric is my motto these days. I feel like I am seriously running trying to go faster to achieve that glittering dream I have. I am hoping I don't run out of time, but if it gets too close I will just turn up my life yet another notch and play a little faster.....

My inspirations are the kind of woman that the history books write about - the kind of women that are my role models - Diana Vreeland, Dorothy Parker, Coco Chanel and all the woman of style who stuck their tongue out at convention and lived their own glitter covered lives their way without letting anyone tell them it was the wrong way or at least not listening to the people who did....

Maybe Julia Child did know what's up....

2010-01-09T19:31:00.003-06:00

Okay so I got inspired today. I first read the book, Julie and Julia then this afternoon watched the movie. The movie inspired me more of Julia Child's life than it did Julie Powells but the book gave me the opposite inspiration, Julie Powell is one definite cool girl.

Anyway, I just happened to have a vintage copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking which is the book that Julie cooked and blogged out of. As I am sure a lot of people did, I just had to try it even though I had never previously even opened the cover of this book!

I took out the pork chops I defrosted for dinner this evening and looked up the section on pork chops. I decided to make the "basic recipe" - which I actually did and received raves from a 10 and 11 year old sons from! It did make me say mmmmm wow, as well! Totally easy too - just browned the pork chops in olive oil and minced garlic, then coated them with thyme, salt and pepper. I transferred them to a baking dish and then melted 2 tbs of butter in the pan I dumped the oil out of. I then poured this all over the pork chops in the baking pan, covered it in foil and baked it. I whisked together the remaining pan drippings with some left over new years champagne (hey all I had in the form of wine LOL) and drizzled over the pork chops. wow......these were like food is supposed to taste.....

A NEW YEARS DAY THAT SPARKLES

2010-01-01T07:31:00.002-06:00

I suppose I should be throwing glitter into the air and dancing around. Things are finally coming together.....Fingers crossed here on this statement. Gene starting a new job, my divorce papers came signed, sealed and delivered yesterday, so finally the future starts?

I suppose though it is actually the start of lots of effort, the effort that started with my breakdown 3 years ago and may finally cumilate into something sparkling. Now on to the nitty gritty work, all those new year resolutions of exercise, organization and best of all finishing my degree and book.

Is it all coming together? We will see......

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY

2009-11-06T16:40:00.003-06:00

Nature's first green is gold

Her hardest hue to hold

Her early leaf's a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.
POEM BY ROBERT FROST
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBORAH REUTELER

Life's Paths

2009-10-12T10:28:00.001-05:00

Traveling Life's Paths

Intense emotions influence my decisions
As I travel life's paths.
Some routes – a choice – others not expected -
The outcome of each, not in my power to control
Events surface – altering intended routes.

Each event brings its many interpretations.
Repeated patterns – opportunities for study.
Could the path be altered by a change in view?
Or, could I repeat the pattern
And continue down the path before me?

At times, my path steers off course by unexpected events –
Slamming me against a storm wall!
Jarring me with a simple reality.
My journey along this charted course – personal –
Time frame unknown.
Yet, final destination will be reached –
EARLY?
LATE?
WHENEVER
Poem by Janet Hillis

TWISTS IN THE ROAD

2009-09-24T15:23:00.003-05:00

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

More of my true paranormal happenings...

2009-09-16T20:33:00.002-05:00

1. I was in a dark parking lot with a streetlight shining down into the window of the car I was unlocking. I saw very clearly reflected in the window of the car a body that was dressed in the fashions of about 10 years previous standing directly behind me. This body did not have a head. I whirled around and looked behind me and there was nothing there. Then I turned to unlock my car again and the body was again reflected in the mirror. I turned again and there was nothing there. I literally repeated this at least 10 times with the same result before I jumped in my car in terror and drove away.

2. I moved into a second story apartment in Las Vegas. The first incident that occurred there is my then 4 year old son kept complaining that a girl was coming out of his closet stating that she lived there and if he didnt leave she would kill him. He repeated this story to me almost on a daily basis. The second thing that happened there was that my son started telling me that the venetian masks that I hung on the wall were also telling him they were going to kill him. After that I got very uneasy being in the apartment although I had not witnessed anything for myself. I called my parents who are pastors and they told me how to perform a blessing on the home. After I performed this blessing every door in the apartment flew violently shut at the same time and literally shook as if someone was behind each door shaking it. This kept up all night until I ran to a neighbors house in terror. When I recounted this story to my downstairs neighbors the next morning they informed me that a witch that practiced black magic had lived there and after she moved out they still heard someone walking around upstairs even though the apartment was empty. I moved out within days after that, demanding a different apartment in the complex.

3. The last condo I lived in before I moved into the one I presently occupy I saw a figure of a man leaning over the railing when I moved in, watching us move in. It disappeared as I looked at it but it occurred almost nightly after that. After my daughter saw it and it scared her I demanded the spirit leave the house and told it we lived there now that it had to go. It then moved to the attached garage. Everyday I would lock the garage door that attached to the house and 5 minutes later the door would reopen on its own. This happened constantly and one night I came in from work and one of my son's matchbox cars that were out there in a storage box was thrown hard at my head out of the garage as the door was again open even though I had locked it with the deadbolt. There was no one in the garage at the time that could have thrown this car at me. After that I got angry and screamed at the empty garage, "Stop it now and leave!" I slammed the door to the garage and locked it. After I did that I felt something slam really hard into the door. I held my body against the door blocking the door and it kept slamming into the door. It felt like a large man slamming his body into the door. After moving from there with my children my ex husband occuppied a room there for a month afterward. He told me that he was terrified to go into the living room after dark as he kept seeing a bunch of people in the living room which were spirits as noone else was physically in the house.

3. I have had several times but one that stands out in my memory the most where I walked out of the house and a pile of fall leaves literally lifted itself up from the ground and formed a perfect spiral garland and started swirling around my body and then would drop to the ground again.

4. I was driving by a graveyard one day and saw a jogger that looked like he was trying to catch up with a car that was driving by going the opposite direction from myself. I laughed as it looked as if the car was playing a joke on their friend and driving slowly away. Just as the jogger caught up with the car and grabbed the bumper of the car the jogger literally started fading away before my eyes and disappeared.

5. My mother called to tell me my father had just died. Upon hearing the news I broke down crying and said I wish he would call me just one more time. The minute I said that an old cell phone (the one he would have had the number to) suddenly rang although a call didnt register with a phone number on the caller id just lit up and showed a call. It was physically impossible for this phone to ring as it had been completely dead for months as the battery had been removed and the service shut off.

6. Quite a few times in my life out of the blue I will constantly smell roses very very strong as if I suddenly were in a rosegarden. This has happened in places where it is physically impossible to smell roses drifting in from anywhere. There are several theories that this rose smell indicates spirits around you.

7. I constantly can predict when the phone will ring and who will be on it as well as know things happened to friends before they tell me and I literally can predict what will happen in the relationships of friends of my immediate family the first time I meet the person or the first time one of my family mention that person. I was right literally every time.

8. I had an incident happen to me twice in my life where suddenly I heard a loud roaring sound of wind in my ears and the room starts drifting away. The first time it was Christmas eve and everyone was asleep. During the sound of this wind roaring I heard a child's voice yelling "MOM!" over and over as if trying to yell over the roar of the wind. It stopped suddenly and I was positive it was the child I had lost during a pregnancy, why I thought this I have no idea the idea just came on strongly that he was trying to contact me from the other side. The second time this happened I was browsing faces on myspace randomly. I suddenly saw this handsome man and the same exact thing happened again with the roar of the wind and the room starting to fade away. After the roaring went away I was absolutely obsessed of wanting to meet this person. I went to his page and read every last morsel of information he put there and then commented on one of his blogs and asked for a friend request. I hoped for a response to my comment and went to his page everyday reading everything printed there. He did accept my friend request but did not contact me. One night he posted a bulletin that said, "Im bored come talk to me". I contacted him then and we IMed and talked all night. After repeating this talking for weeks he IMed me and asked me to marry him. That person is my current fiance who I now live with.

9. Before I moved to the condos I am in now, I didnt even realize they existed. I was in a side by side house that was in bad repair and had a horrible slumlord running it. I was going through rent.com and other sites trying to find a place to live. I got frustrated and closed down every window on the computer preparing to log out. I answered the phone at my desk and remarked that I wish I could live on the water as my father (who was then deceased) had always talked about living on the water. As I hung up the phone from that conversation, I turned around to turn off the power switch on my computer and suddenly there was a full color add for the condo that I now live in that has a manmade lake literally in the back yard. It is directly on the water. Funny how that appeared when I had no internet explorer tab opened at all and had not touched my computer even though I was sitting right next to it.

10. I almost died three times but had intervention each time. The first time I was driving very fast (over 70 mph) down the freeway and fell asleep at the wheel (I was going to school and working 3 jobs and never slept!). When I fell asleep I struck another car headon. As I opened my eyes I saw a pair of arms with a white robe on the pushing my car back away from the other car. I had only a very minor cut from my face hitting the wheel and no other injury which should have been physically impossible. The other cars passengers were equally uninjured. The second time I was driving from Las Vegas to Wisconsin with my newborn daughter and 5 year old son in the car. My exhusband was driving and we were driving along a very steep dropoff on a freeway where it was possible to go directly off the edge as there was no guard rail up. Suddenly a wheel axle snapped completely and my ex husband expertly reacted and turned away from the edge. He then told me that directly before that happened he had a vision it would happen and was told how to turn the wheel and take his foot of the pedal to prevent us from going over the edge! 3. The third time was when I had a persistent pain in the side of my chest. I ignored it thinking it was some kind of muscle ache. I was in the car with all my children driving to my son's bday party at chuck e cheese. Suddenly I heard a voice in my ear as if someone were sitting directly behind my ear saying, GO TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW! This voice kept repeating these instructions over and over! I finally pushed the Onstar button and told them to direct me to the nearest emergency room. Upon testing me in the emergency room I was suddenly surrounded by doctors with very grave looks on their face. I was told if I hadn't come into the hospital right then I could easily be dead as I had an advanced pulmonary blood clot. I received treatment for this and it saved my life.

Thats all I can write for tonight, I am too tired for anymore stories but had to post these....

MAGIC IN ROUTINES?

2009-08-13T08:44:00.004-05:00

I am definitely not a woman of routines, I actually can't stand do the same thing twice in a row. However, I am finding these days there can be a certain magic to those routines in life and what they can maintain and help achieve. My latest thing is I starting walking again. I am doing thirty minutes a day every day and started this morning. There was a certain magic to that walk, the sun glinting off the lake, the smell of summer in the air, the combined elements that worked together to give me some of the peace I have been craving for some time now. I stopped and took pictures when the spirit hit while my tiny dog Daphne chased off the predator gangs of geese in our way.

Much is written about routines and how you should use them to organize your life. My plan is to just do the routines that make my life beautiful, like my walks, my writing, maybe finally starting that scrapbook. I think if even there are mundane tasks in your routine if you remember that they add beauty they will turn to magic....

Above is a picture of the magic in my morning -

FAMILY, CIRCLES AND WHAT MEANS THE MOST

2009-08-12T02:50:00.003-05:00

Today I had a problem with my son whose girlfriend is trying to alienate him from me and the rest of his family. I have no idea how to handle this exactly, other than to tell me son how much he means to me and offer to help him. It seems though as if life comes full circle and there is something to this karma thing after all, I just spent 18 years with a man who I thought was wonderful when I was 20 only to find out that he not only badly abused and manipulated me but also alienated me from the rest of my family and life in general. Now it is happening to my son and I am powerless to stop it.

This isn't the first time I have dealt with the circles of karma or however this can be described. I suppose these circles are there for a reason, to teach us the lessons that need to be learned. The lesson I am learning now I suppose is nothing matters more than my family. Everything in life right now are just ornaments on the holiday tree, but my family is the tree. Okay so lesson learned, enough with the circles!

DREAMS OF PERFECTION VS PERFECT DREAMS

2009-08-07T19:26:00.003-05:00

I just spent years and years with an abusive man who never thought anything I did was good enough. I spent even earlier years with parents who never thought I had much in the intelligence department, it was my sister who was the brilliant one, I the pretty one so maybe I could just marry well - yeah right....

All those years of chasing perfection first to prove myself to my parents then to prove myself to the man I was married to and all it got me was a bad case of high blood pressure. My great revelation after the nervous breakdown I had from this constant chasing of a red balloon that was slightly always out of my grasp? That dreams of perfection are a joke, what matters is the perfect dreams or better yet the perfect moments in life that sneak up on you and suddenly everything glows.....

Now I am struggling on the "technical" portions of my classes, before I would have been sure I was a failure if I couldn't draw blueprints perfectly, now all I feel like doing is telling my teacher it doesn't matter, because what my perfect dreams tell me is that I can do this, it doesn't matter a damn bit on how well I draw blueprints. I have the ideas in my head, I have the eye for style and damn it I have good taste. LOL Now if I can just figure out how to make fabulous pay the bills.....LOL

True Paranormal Incidents That Have Happened To Me

2009-07-22T22:39:00.002-05:00

Here are the first group of stories that have happened to me, I will post them in segments -

The Voodoo Doll

We moved into a rental house that had an opening in a hall ceiling that lead to a crawl space where storage could go. Since the first day of moving into that house I was constantly uneasy walking directly underneath that panel and could not figure out why. I tried to open it with a broomstick to see what was inside but couldn't reach it completely as I didn't have the appropriate ladder, all I could see with the help of the broomstick propping it open where what looked like some sort of chalk drawings.

Shortly after moving in my daughter Zoe whose room was at the end of this hallway and whose doorway was almost directly under that crawlspace, kept complaining of seeing a doll floating in the doorway of her room night after night. Finally I slept in her room with her to "help her resolve this terror". I told her to wake me when the doll appeared. It appeared at midnight. Zoe woke me and pointed to the open door. The hall light was on and very clearly there was a rag doll that appeared to look like what I had seen depictions of voodoo dolls look like. This was not an apparition, it was extremely solid, not at all transparent and was swinging back and forth through the air. Not believing my eyes I asked Zoe to describe to me exactly what she was seeing and she gave me the same description of the doll I was seeing to verify that we both where experiencing see this doll. I suddenly felt very angry at this doll and ran up to it yelling for it to leave my home. It swung at me as if to try to hit me with its feet and starting swinging through the air violently. The closer I got to the doll the more solid and substantial it looked. It kept swinging but seemed to go against an invisible force field when trying to come through the open door. As I finally got directly in front of it still screaming for it to leave, it jerked one more time violently and literally started fading away in front of my eyes. My daughter witnessed and described this exact incident as it happened.

Out of curiousity I contacted a voodoo priestess and described the doll to her and asked her if she had ever encountered or heard of anything like this. Her answer to me upon hearing the physical description of the doll as well as the incident was that she had never encountered it in her lifetime and didn't feel her magic would be strong enough to go up against it. She then told me her grandmother had experienced it in her lifetime and if unless you have extremely powerful ability that this doll is meant to cause death.

More Stories....
This occurred years ago while pregnant with my son. Several incidents happened in the same apartment. The first incident - I made a habit of keeping a bowl of fruit on the kitchen's table. Every morning there would be a piece of fruit laying on the counter with tiny child like bites out of it. Now bear in mind we are in a second story apartment with no access but the front door which had a chain and three deadbolts on it. I had no children at the time to take this small of bites out of the apple and even if my exhusband or I had been sleep walking there is no way possible our teeth or mouths could have physically formed the bites out of that fruit. Finally I asked "it" to stop and stated it was wasting fruit and it never occurred again.

The second incidentin that same apartment - I opened the drapes to show my exhusband the very thick frost the window contained. It was a second story window with no access to the ground unless one would have a very high ladder such as a fireman's ladder. The frost was so thick that evening that you would really have to push an icescraper very hard for it come off the window. Suddenly as both my ex and I were watching, letters started to be written on the outside of the window. They were quite large and formed the word LIE. I never did find out what that meant or why the entity was trying to communicate this to me. It did occur before myself and my ex and we had this verified as we asked several neighbors to come in and witness the occurence.

The third incident in that same apartment - My son was a newborn and being a new mother I didn't know any better and put some toys in his crib. I went to bed and fell asleep after my son fell asleep in his crib. Three times I felt something shaking me very hard. Being a worn out new mother I kept ignoring the shaking and said "No you go get the bottle". Finally with a fourth strong shake I heard the very loud whisper in my ear, "Go check the baby now!". I ran over to my son's crib and he had fallen asleep with a toy cupping his nose and mouth and stopped breathing. I removed the toy and it saved my sons life that night. After I picked up my son in arms, I checked the apartment, no one was home except me and my infant son and the three deadbolts were in place on the door. My ex was out that night and had not returned all night.

Always the Moon....

2009-07-17T20:51:00.002-05:00

The moon has always had a huge significance in my life. Literally everytime I have had a tarot card describe me it is always the Moon card. That coupled with this true story that has happened in my life makes me really wonder...
Ever since I can remember I kept insisting to my parents that my real name should start with an S not the D that it starts with. I kept trying to "remember" what my real name actually was and this is at the age of 5!Years later I was sitting on a pier staring down into the cold dark water. Suddenly like a loud whisper in my ear I heard the words "Susan why don't you just jump? That is what you did the last time, it is time now you have lived long enough." Well as you can imagine my real name is not Susan and there was noone next to me saying those words that was visible anyway.I have always been strongly drawn to the moon and images of the moon and basically formed a collection of items with the shape of a crescent moon.Well - after all of these incidents that I just related happened here is the strangest part of all - I was in the library and a very old man suddenly turned, dropped his books and turned sheet white, literally looked like he had seen a ghost. He said, "oh my God, it is you, Susan, Susan Moon!!! He kept repeating this name and then slowly recovered himself and explained that she was someone he knew and I was her identical twin but she died a tragic death many years ago.

PROLOGUE TO THE LOST GIRL CHRONICLES

2009-06-26T16:41:00.002-05:00

The prologue for The Lost Girl Chronicles - decided to do it all in rhyme - in my mind I see a ballet dancer dressed in tattered black dancing to the rhyme with dead butterflies littering the stage like bits of bright colored confetti......

I think this time I will just play pretend
Just like the fairytale they say has no end
This Lostgirl was actually lost this time
Stuck in a fantasy with never ending rhyme
She went out to play when the sun was so bright
Never intending her life would soon turn to night
But that is the way these stories all end
The package never arrives so there is nothing to send
Everyone knows the lifespan of a butterfly
Beautiful too soon and always to die
Sometimes though, their lives dont really stop
They just cling to the false meanings, the bubbles that soon pop
Romance on a dollar or lust on a dime
Pretending so hard its going to be real this time
All the while knowing its only the next dream
Always to pretend and play out the scene
Dance through the moonlight in that glow of red
Knowing this time the butterflies are already dead.......
Prologue Lost Girl Chronicles by ~avalontwilight

©2008-2009 ~avalontwilight

Sea Jellies - It gets curiouser and curiouser

2009-06-15T13:03:00.004-05:00

Why is no one else questioning this?

The Great Jellyfish Conspiracy

Fact #1 A potentially "immortal" jellyfish species that can age backward—the Benjamin Button of the deep—is silently invading the world's oceans, swarm by swarm, a recent study says. Like the Brad Pitt movie character, the immortal jellyfish transforms from an adult back into a baby, but with an added bonus: Unlike Benjamin Button, the jellyfish can do it over and over again—though apparently only as an emergency measure. Another mystery is how the jellyfish achieve their remarkable age reversal. Miglietta speculates that the creatures have very effective cellular repair mechanisms that allow them to age without incurring the usual ravages of time. Like cancer cells, "some cells of this jellyfish that were supposed to [die] … are able to switch off some genes and to switch on some other genes, reactivating genetic programs that were used in earlier stages of the life cycle," Piraino said.
Fact #2 Recently in the news the latest crop circles are in a detailed form of a jellyfish as you can see on this link http://weeklyworldnews.com/alien-alert/8672/jellyfish-crop-circle/
Fact #3 In Friday morning's news - A lightning sprite in the form of a jellyfish - here is a link and definition of lightning sprites - (http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090611/sc_livescience/strangelightninglookslikejellyfish

So let's see we have mysterious swarms of jellyfish that can age backwards and we don't know where they came from or how they can do it, we have crop circles that appeared in a very detailed picture of jellyfish, and we have a lightning sprite (lightning sprites are linked to UFOs among other things) that is also in the form of a jellyfish. Why is no one else questioning this?!

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme

2009-06-04T21:04:00.004-05:00

http://www.googobits.com/articles/842-how-to-start-your-own-container-herb-garden.html

Are you going to Scarborough Fair: Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Remember me to one who lives there.

My latest golden coin is the growing of herbs. I have started container gardening and purchased every herb I could find. My mint came back from the dead as did my chives which grew so quickly they could have been related to Jack's magic beanstalk. I planted dill to make my mother's famous pickles and sweet basil to illuminate my Insalata Caprese. I also have exotically described herbs such as French Tarragon and Greek Oregano as well as others...

Every night around sunset I go to visit my garden and breathe in the one scent after another. I feel their leaves as if they were children checking their foreheads for a temperature and worrying over my basil which seems to have developed brown in it's leaves possibly due to some predator of the insect world and I gush over my rosemary which is hardy and thriving. The rosemary seems to suit me somehow as it is the herb of remembrance and I have been doing quite a lot these days. I remember the golden kaleidoscope that is childhood, the sparkling moments of my young adulthood, and the shimmering moments of milestones with my children.

Although I am not exactly ancient, I am feeling quite the opposite of youth these days. I tend to wonder if it the amount of past lives I have been through. I somehow know that this is not the last one, but it certainly was not the easiest. There is so much I have yet to experience or complete just in this one that I refused to be done even though the loopholes to end things presented themselves with startling regularity. I am not finished yet nor will I be for quite some time, but still the lure of the rosemary holds strong.....

This describes The Lost Girls perfectly.....funny it is from a band I have never listened to...

2009-06-04T20:39:00.002-05:00

Through the corridors of sleep Past the shadows dark and deep My mind dances and leaps in confusion. I don't know what is real, I can't touch what I feel And I hide behind the shield of my illusion. So I'll continue to continue to pretend My life will never end, And flowers never bend With the rainfall. The mirror on my wall Casts an image dark and small But I'm not sure at all it's my reflection. I am blinded by the light Of God and truth and right And I wander in the night without direction. So I'll continue to continue to pretend My life will never end, And flowers never bend With the rainfall. It's no matter if you're born To play the King or pawn For the line is thinly drawn 'tween joy and sorrow, So my fantasy Becomes reality, And I must be what I must be and face tomorrow. So I'll continue to continue to pretend My life will never end, And flowers never bend With the rainfall. (Simon & Garfunkel - Flowers Never Bend With The Rainfall)

The Inner Librarian

2009-05-28T12:10:00.002-05:00

I am suddenly in the nesting mode this summer. I am not exactly sure why, maybe because I feel everything is in flux right now at this point in my life, that maybe if I have a stable home environment it will stabalize all else in my life or at least I believe this may be the rationale. Anyway. right now I am in this mad dash to finally get everything unpacked, squirrelled away into boxes that are labeled, donated or sold. Somehow those rows of marked plastic boxes mean I have all my ducks in a row and that I am ready to pick up and move or settle in and actually find everything.

My latest endeavor of the weekend is my obsession to create an inhome library. Okay maybe this is because through no fault of my own, (LOL), I am persona non gratis at our public library. Yeah well I am not good at returning books ontime. But actually it is because in my mad shopping frenzy period, (shopping to replace sex/love leads to lots and lots of stuff....), I acquired literally tons of books I now feel I must read if only I could find them.

I got off to a good start this weekend and divided the two little three shelf bookshelves I had into fiction and non fiction. I added magazine holders to house my treasured Victoria magazines, and a potted plant to look sophisticated on top. I then went even further dividing my non-fiction books into a whole reference section - cookbooks, decorating books, textbooks, research for "Lost Girls" books, and improve my figure/organization/life books. I now have a whole reference section that lacks only the Dewey Decimal system to rival a small library or at least maybe a book mobile.

Now I am on a mission to unpack the other books that are here, there and everywhere, add yet more bookshelves and surround myself with the things I love most, books, candles, plants etc. Somehow this all gives me a feeling of peace, as if life is okay if my room is pretty and books are organized....

Now unto building yet more bookshelves....

Clever Ways to Create an In-Home Library

2009-05-28T12:09:00.001-05:00

Clever Ways to Create an In-Home Library

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CHAPTER ONE OF THE LOST GIRL CHRONICLES

2009-04-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

We all have a story. This is the story of a girl named Susan. Why would anyone care about her story? Maybe because she is one of the Lost Girls and her story could actually be called a song. This song contains all of the elements of the most forlorn country western ballad, tragic opera and raunchiest rap. Susan's song could never quite get radio play though, it moves too quickly, the rhythm skips around wildly and the lyrics are not for sensitive ears. Even so, the very essence of this song demands to be played. The following is the Song of Susan, the battle cry for all of the Lost Girls everywhere..... Well, granted that last paragraph is a bit emo even for my tastes but that bit is true I suppose in that each one of my stories are all songs. It's just that I never know where to start as none of these songs have any kind of cohesiveness to them, there is no way I could ever fit them all on the same cd. I mean if I start at the beginning of my first song its as if I am back in high school history class reciting the dates and causes of each war, getting progressively more tired and blase as the recitation wears on.I could start at the last song and go backwards as my audience would want to know exactly how I ended up as I am today, lying in the rain that washes my blood off the pavement, crying soundlessly while the snow white peacocks march around me pretending not to notice.But really maybe I could just jump right in and start rambling on, I mean the top hit songs are always some obscure number like 5 or 7 on the cd anyway right? Who knows what might grab your interest and not let it go?I suppose I will be boring though and give you a quick description of myself, every cd does need cover art right? My name used to be Susan, and although I have what men seem to admire in looks and I like to think I am smarter than the average person, I was still just another Susan. Pretty enough to find a rich husband my parents said, but definitely not wise enough to make my own course in life. Of course this was all before I met HIM. Yeah I know why do all the turning points in a woman's life revolve around men? The reality of that little fact really does suck, but seems oh so true for so many of us.......Well I am digressing again, even in death when all I am supposed to experience are a series of flashback memories, I still can't turn it off, I just keep rambling on and on as if I had all the time in the world to tell my story.But then again maybe I do still have all the time in the world, I thought this spell would finally work but it may have gone awry just like all my other attempts at a way out of this tedium. Anyway, as you may have guessed already, the giant HIM I referred to is an immortal who by the looks of it screwed me over for life and apparently for death too.Since you actually seem to be listening I might as well get up and brush the peacock droppings off myself and do some more rambling because already my wounds are starting to close up and heal and all I seem to have done this time was ruined my new shoes as I took a running leap from that window. Looks like back to the drawing board again.So anyway come upstairs with me and have a drink, I know I damn sure need one, suicide attempts are always better with a good dry martini as the finale I've found……….

MY SHINY COINS

2009-02-13T16:05:00.003-06:00

What better day than Friday, the 13th to christen my blog? I choose to believe that rather than bad luck, this day signifies additional electric magic in the air. A deeper shade of night this evening, with a brighter moon and magic in the air, making our ordinary lives and loves suddenly come to light......

My thoughts today are such a mix of the mundane and the magical and my emotions mixed between despair and delight. Valentine's Day is tomorrow and it should be interesting to find out what is revealed and what is hidden. Then too soon, my birthday will be here, on Wednesday this year, and birthdays are for me always days of regret. I regret the passing of time too quickly and while I try to hide this behind the bubbles of the champagne and the too sweet sugary taste of the frosting, the regret always somehow slips in, like the fears that slip into our dreams at night.

That particular kind of despair is always there on the fringes of my mind and only slips away when my magical moments appear. These magic moments always surprise me, it could be the light reflections on the lake, the smell of wood smoke in the air, or the colors of the flowers that sets it off. Whatever the stimulus it is always the same, the same magical feel that I can finally feel the happiness, that it was always right there all along. But then just as the bubbles in the champagne tend to pop, so does that sheer feeling of happiness as it settles back in to the thoughts of things that must be dealt with.

Of course, the stuff of life such as making lists and plans, dealing with business and pleasure and everything in between is what keeps my mind occupied so that despair can't quite be felt. It numbs things enough so that I always have something else to focus on instead. My passions and thoughts jump from one thing to another, as my daughter refers to me, I am a bird with a shiny coin, always jumping to the next thing that catches my eye.

These days my shiny coins are writing The Lost Girl Chronicles, completing my BA in Interior Design, trying to organize my home with things like labels and boxes, nature walks and reading every book I can get my hands on. These are my hobbies in life, the things that grab my attention and consume my thoughts. These are the things I will probably write about in this blog along with my bright bubbles of happiness along the way.