FaceBook - The Addiction

I joined FaceBook about 6 months ago. My pastor had mentioned that he had joined and that he kept in touch with many of his friends and colleagues. So I thought why not?? I had no clue what I was getting myself into..... First thing was FaceBook pulled my email address book and found friends that were already on FB... I must have approved this action but I don't remember. So the next thing I know, a few friends pop up on my "Wall" and welcome me to FB. I'll never forget this, my friend Ron sent me a note on my wall the first day and he said, "Be careful, FB can become addictive"... I had no idea what he was talking about...addictive how???

Face Book has a profile that I can complete with as much information as I want to give. I completed my high school information...Next thing I know, I am getting "friend requests" from people I had not seen in twenty-five years......very cool.... Now I am searching for friends from high school....I hit the jackpot!!!! I think as of today, I have reacquainted with about twenty or so high school friends. In addition to my high school friends, my church has taken over FB... I went so far as to add our church as a group on FB. So far almost everyone from church who is on FB has joined. It's a great way to send out prayer requests, talk about upcoming events, or just join another group.

Now groups and causes are a big thing on FB. So far I have joined MEMBERS WANT THE OLD FACEBOOK BACK!, Christian Women Online, PRAYER , Family Friendly Morning Show 95.9 The Fish, California Republican Party, Working Wardrobes, Hill Junior High School Alumni, 6 Degrees 0f Fellowship - The Christian Experiment, Thankful for President George W. Bush, Shoreline Baptist Church, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Owners, Born and raised in Long Beach..., we CAN find 10,000,000 Christians on facebook, Fireproof, Long Beach, Calif. USA, For every 50 people that join, I will donate $1 for Lupus Awareness..., Operation Christmas Child, Against So-Called Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), A Heart for Missions, One Million Strong Against Human Trafficking, Woodrow Wilson Alumni, Six Degrees Of Separation - The Experiment. "Do you see a trend starting here?"

In addition to groups, high school and church friends.... my family is on FB. My sisters, mom, aunts, and cousins... My cousin Jerri Lee from GA contacted me...I had not seen or spoken to her since she was six years old and now she's a grandma!!! This is a great way to reconnect..... So far the funniest and neat thing that has happened so far, is my best friend from the 7th grade found me....I'm 43 years old now... We will getting together soon to catch up on thirty years of living! I'm looking forward to that.

I now understand Ron's comment about the addiction thing.... In the beginning, when I first would get home from somewhere, I would rush to my computer to make sure I did not miss something.... There are silly applications you can play with friends. You can poke them, send them a fish, a Disneyland E ticket, flowers, and other silly little imaginary gifts...

What I like most about FB is the pictures my friends have posted. I get a glimpse of their lives through pictures. Their children, friends, and activities. With our busy lifestyles, it's nice to hop on the computer and "catch up" with friends and loved ones for awhile... So to my friends in blogger land.... Here's a super Poke to you and a catch a fish for fun.....

Gourmet Meat Loaf

This is a family favorite. I've been making this for 20 years and the husband and kids still love it!!

Gourmet Meat Loaf

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground meat
1 C fine dry bread crumbs (I use Italian)
1/2 C sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp thyme
3 oz can chopped or sliced mushrooms
2 TBSP Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP Chopped onion (dried is okay)

Preheat oven 400 degrees

Combine all ingredients and shape into loaf. Place in shallow roasting pan for about 55 minutes.

Many times, I have cut the recipe in half and put into a loaf pan for fewer people/leftovers. Cooking time is still 55 minutes....

Enjoy!. This is a good one. Please let me know what you think!

Target Shopping Advice

Last year I took a job at Target. Why you may ask... I thought it would be fun to play cashier. After three months of having feet that were so sore I couldn't walk and dealing with a few very rude people, I quickly decided that it was not for me! I did however , gain a new respect for the cashiers at Target or any store for that matter. Next time you talk to a cashier be nice and give them a smile..

I love shopping at Target. Their prices on many items are much lower than regular supermarkets. I buy all my paper products, hair products, cleaning supplies, makeup, prescriptions, yogurt, kids' snacks for school, and much more. They have everything you need for your home and family. Clothes, decorations, DVDs, CDs, electronics, toys, and school supplies..

There are many things I learned working at Target. The inside end caps is usually where you will find great deals...20% up to 80% off on things from beauty products to towels and sheets. If you go into the clothing areas, in the back you will find racks with mark downs from 30% - 70%. If you are making a purchase of $100 or more get a Target Visa card...You get 10% off on the entire purchase...If you shop at Target often, use their card (pay it off each month - high interest) because for every $1000 you spend you get a coupon in the mail for an entire day of 10% off.

A big thing I learned at Target was coupons are good...they are very good. There were people that came in with coupons galore and they saved a ton of money on things I buy everyday! I had never paid attention to coupons in the past. I always threw them away. Not anymore. With Target's low prices, throw in coupons, and my 10% off coupon and I got a HUGE savings!I get the Sunday paper just for the coupons. Last week I saved $22.78 just using coupons...that's without the 10% coupon.

In these hard economic times, it's a good idea to save money where you can...If you have shopped at Target or used coupons...give it a try...I'm sure you'll be happy you did.

Cider Braised Pork Loin Chops

Don't laugh at the picture..Not the best in presentation...but tastes really good!

This is a really good and easy recipe... It takes very little time

Ingredients
6 Medium pork loin chops about 1 inch thick
Lawry's seasoned salt
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp oil
2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 celery rib, chopped
3/4 c apple cider
1 bay leaf

Season with Lawry's and tenderize the pork by lightly using a fork

Melt butter AND oil in large skillet over med-high heat

Add pork and cook until brown, about 2-3 min per side - take pork out and set aside

add leeks, celery, and bay leaf to skillet, saute until tender

Add cider and boil for approx. 2 minutes

Return pork and any juices to skillet.

Cover and Simmer just until cooked completely in approximately 5-8 minutes

Remove bay leaf.. and enjoy.

Mom and Daughters' Adventure

Last summer I went on an adventure with my two favorite girls. My twelve and ten year old daughters....we left my hubby behind.. Not that my husband isn't good company..he is...but there's something about an all girl trip. This was the first time in my life that I completely stepped out of my comfort zone and did something so unlike me. The results.... an adventure of a lifetime..
On June 29,2008 with the car loaded with luggage, DVDs, books on tape, tons of bottled water, snacks, and my new/used GPS we took off for the "unknown"..Okay we were still in the states but you know what I mean... Our destinations were The Colorado Rockies, Family and friends in Colorado, Moab, UT, and last stop Las Vegas.
I am the constant planner. I had every stop planned down to the time we would arrive. I had every motel booked months in advance and every tour and show booked and paid for. I timed my trip so I would only drive six to eight hours and only in the daylight...after all I'm a girl!
The Colorado Rockies are breathtaking, once we crossed over the Utah/Colorado border the Colorado River greeted us. It tagged along with us all the way to Glenwood Hot Springs Lodge. The "Hot Springs" turned out to be the largest natural spring pool in the world. It spanned well over 2 to 3 football fields.. During my research, I discovered a live cam on the poolslide..so I set up a "cam" date with my husband... People walking by must have thought we were nuts waving our arms and jumping up and down in front of a slide..well we'd never see them again.. talking on the cell to Dusty (my husband) and jumping up and down while he is watching us from work was hilarious.. good memory.. While we were in Glenwood we ventured up to Adventure Park. In order to get to Adventure Park, you must take a gondola up up up to 7100 ft. I am afraid of heights so my eyes were closed much of the time. My kids loved seeing the valley below. At Adventure Park there were Cave tours, bungee jumping, mazes, and lots of things for the kids to enjoy... The view was amazing.
Our next stop was friends and family. We had a great visit catching up with my best friend Karen and her family and also spent a couple of days with my favorite Uncle. We left Colorado after a week of visits - great memories...
We headed down to Moab, UT. The drive was spectacular. There were a million different colors of rocks, land, plants, and sky... I am not a good enough writer to describe the majesty of it all.... I had booked a couple of tours for Moab that took us out all day. The first was a jet boat tour on the beautiful Colorado River, by this time, I felt a kinship with Mr Colorado having hung out with him for several days. The jet boat took us deep into the caverns where mighty red walls surrounded us on all sides. From the jet boat tour we headed to the Arches National Park. There we had an off road jeep tour. When I say off road I really mean off road...the jeep climbed over rocks that in my humble opinion seemed to stand completely vertical..on this very bouncy trip we saw things that the average tourist misses. We saw actual dinosaur tracks...very cool. The Arches is a destination I highly recommend to everyone.
Our last stop Las Vegas...me the "always" planner booked not one not two but three kid friendly shows...since they were booked way in advance..our seats were awesome. The first night we went to a Luau at the Imperial Place. We watched many types of Polynesian dancers and fire throwers and had a generally good time..except it was
110 degrees outside..so we kinda stuck to our chairs... The next night was the Tournament of Kings horse show and dinner, and the last night was The Dog and Cat Magic show at Planet Hollywood. During the day, we hung out at the Flamingo's incredible pool. The kids had a great time going on the slides all day and I enjoyed relaxing with a good book. The second to last night.. Dusty surprised the girls by joining us for dinner at Caesar's Palace and driving home with us.
We made some incredible memories the girls and me. We call it "Our Adventure". Before I know it, the girls will be on their way to college, marriage, and their own lives... I want to horde as much of them as I can during the short time they are with me....
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