Making Silhouettes In The Fading Summer Sun

Having fun in the backyard - making shadows... silhouettes.. Once a gymnast.. always a gymnast.... Having fun with Daddy.. and a camera...

9/11 - Fly Our Flag Day

This is a program that has been hitting the Internet - I am in favor of it.
What We Do......

On Friday, September 11, 2009, an American flag should be displayed
outside very home.... every apartment, every office, and every store
in the United States of America.

We do this on the eighth anniversary of one of our country's worst tragedies.
We do this to honor those who lost their lives on 9/11,
We do this to honor the families, friends, and loved ones
who continue to endure the pain.
We do this to honor those who are fighting at home
and abroad to preserve our cherished freedoms.

In the days, weeks, and months following 9/11, our country was bathed in American flags as citizens mourned the incredible losses. We stood together in our grief... in our pain.. and in our pride to be an American citizens.
Sadly, the flags have all but disappeared - our patriotism has pulled us through some very tough times and it should not take another tragedy for us to show our Red, White, and Blue. To show our pride in our country.... our nation.... our people.... by waving Old Glory - our American Flag.

Stuff For Sale

I'm getting ready to sell some stuff on Ebay - I will be listing them on Monday. If you are interested in any of the items you can email me at KMLDRL@aol.com and let me know. I would be happy to accept a cashier's check and ship out to you.

DVD

One Tree Hill Season 1 $20.00
One Tree Hill Season 2 $20.00
One Tree Hill Season 3 $20.00
One Tree Hill Season 4 $20.00
One Tree Hill Season 5 $20.00
(Used -viewed one time only) shipping $3.00 per season

TRUE Blood Season 1 $25.00
(Used -viewed one time only shipping $3.00)


The Mary Higgins Clark Collection $15.00
7 DVDS - one DVD opened the rest unopened shipping $3.00

The Bourne Files - Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy $5.00
Used - watched 1 time - shipping $3.00

Falling in Love $3.00
Used - watched 1 time - shipping $2.00

Goosebumps - One Day at Horror Land $5.00
Used - watched 1 time - shipping $2.00

WALL E $8.00
Used - watched 1 time - shipping $2.00

My Best Friend's Wedding $1.00
Used - watched 1 time - shipping $2.00

Moonlight - complete series $10.00
Used - watched 1 time - shipping $3.00

Stephen King's The Dead Zone $2.00
Used watched 1 time - shipping $2.00

The Invisible $5.00
Used - watched 1 time - shipping $2.00

Books

Entire Left Behind Series 12 books $75.00
Used - shipping $10.00

Books on CD

Sandra Brown - Led Astray $5.00
New - shipping $2.00

Mary Higgins Clark - Where Are You Now? $3.00
Used - shipping $2.00

Men Shirt

Tommy Bahama - Large 100% Cotton - I think it is shrunk to a medium. $4.00
Used - shipping $7.00

Unusual So. Cal. Summer

This has been a very odd summer in Southern California... Typically in June we have the "June Gloom" this year it lasted a few days... not the entire month as it usually does.... July came along and the temperatures hit in the 90's a few times but for the most part a warm not hot July -averaging around 78 degrees.... Now August is usually the killer month.. hot hot hot.. This year August - was pretty chilly - many days of overcast skies - cool breezy nights and one day I actually had to wear pants in the evening.... You need to be aware my definition of chilly and someone that lives in place that has the white stuff called snow may disagree... chilly in my world is hovering in the mid 50's at night.... But today August 26 at 4:30 PM - it is 92 degrees - there goes my chilly evening... no pants tonight for me..

Another unusual thing that is happening this year is the bugs... We have ant trails in the backyard like you would not believe.... they are also coming in my house looking for something to eat... they found the dog's food bowl last week... There was a trail that came out of a electrical socket in my office wall - went around my cabinets - behind my door - across the tile - into the bathroom - and into my dogs bowl... No kidding, I have never seen a trail like that before.. Makes my arms and legs itch just thinking about it... and the hornets.... I have counted 7 hornet nests along the roof line of our house - one nest was too high too shoot the poison on so at dusk - I got our hose and boy they really got mad..... I am sure I looked like a lunatic every time I dropped the hose and took off down the street -

Layered Enchilada Pie with Flour Tortillas

Layered Enchilada Pie
(very easy and very yummy)

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef
1 med chopped onion
1 minced garlic clove
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
1 Tbsp Chili powder
1 4 1/2 oz can chopped olives
1 8 oz tomato sauce
6 flour tortillas - lightly buttered
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Saute beef, onion, garlic in butter - add seasoning, olives, and tomato sauce. Butter tortilla, meat, cheese and three more layers... Last tortilla cover with cheese. Pour water along the edges into bottom of casserole - cover. Bake 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

The kids will love it!

My Top 50 List

My friend Jacki from Hunting Fishing and Other Grounds For Divorce gave me the idea for this blog.. A list of 50 things I want to do..... before I die... The list is no particular order - just my thought process - my list tends to change daily, monthly, yearly... and sometimes even by the the hour - minute.. Thank you Jacki! Click on the link to Jacki's The Alaska Woman's blog. Jacki combines wit, laugh out loud humor, compassion, and true sense of self in everything she writes...

My 50 Things.

1. Go on a mission trip to Africa, The Middle East, and everywhere God leads me.
2. See both my girls graduate from college
3. Go to Fiji.
4. Reenact the scene from Here to Eternity with Dusty (my hub)
5. Complete a jigsaw puzzle
6. Go back to Atlantis in the Bahamas and stay in the Michael Jackson Suite
7. Work in disaster relief
8. Read the entire Bible cover to cover
9. Get everything waxed... everything
10. Write a book
11. Learn to surf
12. Spend an entire week getting pampered by a staff of experts
13. Stop worrying about the small stuff
14. Stop worrying about the big stuff
15. Stop worrying.
16. Laugh more often
17. Cry more often
18. Pray more often
19. Watch my daughters get married - (in a really long time from now)
20. Hold my first grand baby - (again in a reeeeeaaaaaaallllllllyyy long time from now)
21. Get a tattoo
22. Get back my healthy body
23. Hike the Grand Canyon from rim to rim
24. Take a long road trip with my girls
25. Take lots of short trips with my girls
26. Enjoy my family more
27. Spend more quality time with Dusty
28. Plant as many seeds as possible for God's Kingdom
29. Go on a river rafting trip on the Colorado River
30. Spend a month on a houseboat at Lake Powell
31. Play at the winners table in the World Series of Poker.
32. Have the courage to be a better public speaker
33. To stop holding a particular grudge.
34. Read a book a week
35. Adopt an older child
36. Learn to make a California roll
37. Learn to make tamales.
38. Learn to draw
39. Spend a weekend without any responsibilities and just veg on a raft in the pool
40. Go to Washington DC with the family
41. Tell President Obama what I really think of him..
42. Visit my sister in MA.
43. Go to New Orleans
44. Overcome my fear of flying
45. Stop procrastinating
46. Start living
47. Start doing
48. Rent a RV and travel the entire US - except for a Hawaii - Don't thing a RV will float
49. Count every blessing
50. Start doing this list

This is just too funny not to share.

Employment Advice

This September will be the two year anniversary of my husband being laid off after 23 years of excellent service. I remember the day so clearly... It was 9:50 in the morning - I heard the garage door open as I was heading out to a dentist appointment. I was thinking that Dusty (my husband) might have an appointment near the house and wanted to surprise me and say hi.... I walked to the door and asked him what's up.... His face was white (in shock) and he said "I'm so sorry - I was just fired" My first reaction was that he has got to be playing a joke... Dusty tends to do that... "No, I am serious" He said that the Regional VP called him into his office and fired him.... (we did not know at the time that ALL the VP of Sales like my husband were being fired across the nation.)
Dusty's company had been bought out my a Japanese company and they had too many Chiefs working.. The company was losing money... The loyalty for Dusty's previous company's employees were non-existent. What really got my goat is this: Dusty had won Regional Sales Manager of the Year eight months prior - He was promoted to VP of Sales and won the biggest contract in the history of the company for over 17 million dollars... The company had to cut costs and Dusty was a cost.... The sneaky and unethical thing the company did was try to fire Dusty for cause - some trumped up charge that was later proven false - The Regional VP was the guilty party... Dusty had to fight for his 23 years of service compensation package... It was not a contest - the company knew they were trying to pull a fast one to try and save money where they could... Thankfully, after contacting an attorney, the company admitted their bad judgment in so many words.. nothing in writing of course - but delivered his compensation quickly.. It's sad that the company was willing to lie and steal to save a few bucks... I wonder how they sleep at night.

One thing I have learned is that you must be aware of your rights when and if you are terminated... You must have a copy of your employer's handbook - You must keep all your pay-plan paperwork at your home. Commission break downs - letters of praise - anything that you feel is worthy of keeping - because if you are terminated you will NOT have a chance to recover those items... KEEP A SEPARATE FILE AT HOME


During this time, I discovered how much Dusty really needed me. I am a take charge kind of person in a crisis - and Dusty was in shock.. He temporarily lost his self esteem - he was bruised..... He was hurt... He was afraid... For the first time since college he was unemployed... He had a family to take care of... It's funny that I wasn't fearful.... I know God gave me a calm heart - at least I was not afraid.. I had to be a motivator for Dusty - I helped him with his resume - I got unemployment checks coming in - and I researched ways to get a job... Fast. Thankfully, Dusty was back to work within four (4) months - We were the lucky ones... But we also created our own luck by treating the job search as a job....

In today's economy there are more people looking for jobs than there are jobs. The people who are getting hired are the ones who are working the system.. They have contacted as many job sites as possible, they have gotten their resume updated and ready to go - many have hired companies to make them more attractive to potential employers, and they are calling every contact they have made in their entire working life... (This is how Dusty got his current position) If you want to work you must be proactive - you must spend your days making contacts with potential employers and letting friends, acquaintances, and family know you are looking and what you are looking for... Don't be shy - pass out your resume.... Being shy will not put food in your belly..

Below is a bunch of links to help you in your job search - if you need them or maybe a friend, a sister, a brother, or someone you know that is searching. Good luck and God be with you..

Exploring Career Paths? Get Career Guides at Vault.com.

Apply for jobs with Kohl's on SnagAJob.com

Over 35 Targeted Job Sites for Every Creative Industry - Find a Job at Creative Jobs Central.com

Find a better job...Post Your Resume FREE at HotResumes.com

Click here to e-mail your resume and cover letter to 1000's of Top Employers and Recruiters!

JustTechJobs - Connecting IT's Best

One form gets your resume on 75 top career sites. Click Here

Career Assessment. Local Jobs Available. Let local companes find you

Executive Career Opportunies: $80,000 to $500,000+

Learn how to get more job offers from Job.com. Click Here to get expert job searching advice and access to 1000s of local jobs.

Want a bigger salary? Click here


Please be advised I am not an expert on getting a job - that is not my career. I am sharing information I learned from my experience.

Losing Weight With Diet -To-Go

I have been on a gazillion diets - seriously.... and so far I have not allowed anything to work... I had enjoyed many years of being healthy and thin... Food was not a big deal... But somewhere between 28 and 35 years old - I became hungry... I don't know what triggered it... I really don't care - but I need to be satisfied... I need to stop eating all crap that I do... I love cheese - bread - cookies- ice cream - Mexican Food..... I am not a fan of salads - lean meat - fish (yuck) - good for me food.....

I have been on Jenny Craig - did not like the counselors - too skinny and have no idea what it's like to be a fat woman...

I have tried Weight Watchers - but I am not a meeting kinda gal.... in person or on line

I have tried Optifast and Medifast - both diets - got tired of drinking my way to thin-hood.

I have tried Nutri-system - the worst food known to man - double/triple yuck!!!

I have tried Atkins - and it did work for a while but got tired of meat and protein..

I have tried the Rotation Diet - this is a great diet - but hard to cook just for me when the family has no desire to eat plain food...

I am forty-three years old - almost forty-four - I need to lose over 100 pounds to be in the over-weight category - funny, I weighed 104 lbs on my wedding day - and wore a size 2 dress.... it was so easy then... Today, I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and last time I was checked - I was one point from being diabetic ... Changes in my life have to be made... they have to be made NOW... not tomorrow... not next week.. but NOW

I have recently come across Diet-to-go. This is a diet that food is delivered to your home.. The food is prepared daily - so the food is fresh and yummy. There is no calorie counting... no carbohydrate counting... Each meal is custom made for you..

Diet-to-go has been around since 1991 and has delivered 1,000,000,000 meals to homes across the US... Check out the site - by using the hyperlinks or the advertisement to the right...

If you like to get started right away like me - then click this link and Save $20 While You Lose Weight!


Starting September 30th - I will be posting a diet update on my journey and would love to hear your story - with the September post, there will be a mcklinky so you can link your story

One Nation Under God

This video was sent to me today - I have the neatest friends - who have the most awesome things to share.. Watching this video - reminded me what our country was founded on.... What our country stands for... and what our country is forgetting...

One Nation Under God...

This resulted from a Mom in Alabama asking her high school son to help with a commercial for the Tea Party she was involved in organizing.

Boy, does it slam the message home. Very impressive. Here is her note: "I asked Justin if he could help me make a commercial for my group's Tea Party. He sat down at the laptop for about an hour, and then brought this to me and asked ' is this okay Mom?' After I finished watching it, my stomach was in my throat. Everyone that I have sent it to has really enjoyed it, so I wanted my friends to see it, I am so proud".

A very Powerful video, turn up the sound and sit back....!!!!

GUARANTEED GOOSE BUMPS.....

What Happened To Human Decency?

Okay - I have some issues with Kate and Jon Gosselin... Mostly with Jon... The couple who sold their children's rights to privacy to reality TV land - Parents who are so self absorbed that they don't bother to think about the irreversible damage they are inflicting on their kids... Couples get divorced - I get it.... But most couples don't sling their everyday trash and affairs for the world to see.... One day these poor children are going to see what a mockery their parents have made of their family.... their sextuplet and twin births... They are going to see how their parents sold them out for a nice house? More traveling? More girlfriends?

What really gets my goat is Jon's public display of affection and "love" for the daughter of the plastic surgeon who did Kate's tummy tuck - does this not sound like a soap opera.. Jon declared his love for this twenty-two year old girl, Hailey Glassman - you're suppose to forget the fact that he was hooking up with several other women during his "relationship" with Hailey... He even stoops so low as to have her spend the night in the house with his eight (8) children - HE STILL MARRIED!!!!!!! The divorce is not complete... the kids are still getting used to daddy and mommy not living together - still he brings home Barbie??? Jon has told many reporters that Kate is the reason for their marriage's demise...... The guy has been sleeping around and bragging about it - before he and Kate were separated.... he is shoving his "new" sex life down everyone's throat - and it's Kate's fault?... granted she is not someone I would befriend.... but a marriage takes two... geez

What is more sad to me is that Kate and Jon seem to thrive on the publicity - they seem to be very eager to tell their side of the story... and TLC seems way too early to air it... What happened to privacy? Protecting your family? Waiting until the ink dries before declaring your love for a girl you've known for two minutes...? What happened to human decency??

How to Stay Young

HOW TO STAY YOUNG
sent to me by my sister Debbie
I just had to share it... Love it.

1. Try everything twice. On one woman's tombstone she said she wanted this epitaph: "Tried everything twice, loved it both times!"
2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
3. Keep learning: Learn more about computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!
4. Enjoy the simple things.
5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have friends who make you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with THEM.
6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Live while you are alive!
7. Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the shops, the city, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt s.
10. Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity.
11. Forgive now, those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

Remember this: Lost time can NEVER be found - be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is facing some kind of struggle...

Goodbye John Hughes - You Will Be Missed

I am a product of the 1980's teen scene. Attending high school and college in the 80's - I quickly became a huge fan of John Hughes movies... The characters in his movies were my friends... I longed to be Sam in Sixteen Candles.... Her spunk, her fashion style, and of course the cute senior giving her back her panties over a cake with sixteen candles - classic.. The Breakfast Club made me want to get in trouble and have a Saturday detention... and who would not want to be Ferris Bueller's girlfriend...... I certainly did.... Just loved the way he sang Twist and Shout... and I wanted my best friend to be Ducky.... I wanted to go to Wally World with the Griswolds.... There are so many characters to know and love in Hughes movies... Today, at the ripe old age of 43 years old - I feel young again when I pop one of my favorites into the DVD player....

The 80's were an incredible time to grow up - we had fashion - anybody miss the big hair - big hoops, hot pink tops with a black mini? We had the best music ever..... Adam Ant, The Police, Michael Jackson, Flock of Seagulls, Duran Duran, Oingo Boingo, and oh so many more... I love listening to flashback weekends on the radio... We had the best teen movies - courtesy of John Hughes....

Mr. Mom, Vacation, Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, European Vacation, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Buller's Day Off, Some Kind of Wonderful, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Christmas Vacation, Home Alone 1, 2, and 3, and Dutch to name a few...

John Hughes passed away August 6, 2009 at the age of 59. He will truly be missed..

Dealing With Conflict

Summer vacation is almost over - yeah.. My favorite holiday of the year is the first day of school....no, I'm kidding but I am looking forward to a little peace and quiet.. The kids are getting on each others nerves and are ready for school to start....

Peace is not the absence of conflict from life, but the ability to cope with it. Author Unknown

I have learned that anytime there is a conflict with the kids - even with my husband, sister, or friend it's best to deal with it head-on.. Deal with it right away helps to open the lines of communication - it helps to get it on the table before it festers into something so big and out of control that it can threaten my sanity and the ones around me... When I am crazy - everyone suffers.... also kidding - or am I?

When the kids start one of their bickering matches - it's time stop what I am doing.. stop them from what they are doing.... I allow each of them to say their side without interruption.. and then we try to resolve it... Sometimes there is no way to resolve it except to say - deal with it... and that's okay too. Life is not always fair.... But with every conflict resolved or not - I require each person to use positive words... no finger pointing... and to ask each other for forgiveness... Many times we will also pray for God's help to give us a forgiving heart and to help with the healing....

Recently I have adopted the idea of writing a love letter - I have had my kids write to each other - letting the other one know the special qualities they see in each other... I love reading those letter because the girls really do express themselves so beautifully and they show how great their love really is......

Kelly's Idea for today - Deal with Conflict right away before it turns to a big ugly monster...

A Letter to Barbara Boxer

Some of us witnessed the arrogance of Barbara Boxer (CA) as she admonished a brigadier general because he addressed her as "ma'am" and not "Senator" before a Senate hearing. This letter is from a National Guard aviator and Captain for Alaska Airlines. I wonder what he would have said if he were really angry. Long fly Alaska !!!!!


Dear Senator Boxer,

You were so right on when you scolded the General on TV for using the term "ma'am," instead of "Senator." After all, in the military, "ma'am" is a term of respect when addressing a female of superior rank or position.

The general was totally wrong. You are not a person of superior rank or position. You are a member of one of the world's most corrupt organizations, the U.S. Senate, equaled only by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congress is a cesspool of liars, thieves, inside traders, traitors, drunks (one who killed a staffer, yet is still revered), criminals, and other low level swine who, as individuals (not all, but many) will do anything to enhance their lives, fortunes and power, all at the expense of the People of the United States and its Constitution, in order continually to be re-elected. Many democrats even disregard the probability of our American troops being killed by the releasing of photographs..

How many of you could honestly say, "We pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor"? None? One? Two?

Your reaction to the General shows several things. First is your abysmal ignorance of all things military.. Your treatment of the General shows you to be an elitist of the worst kind. When the General entered the military, as did most of us who served, he wrote the government a blank check, offering his life to protect your derrière now safely and comfortably ensconced in a $20,000 leather chair, paid for by the General's taxes.

You repaid him for this by your pathetic attempt at humiliating him in front of millions.

Second is your puerile character, lack of sophistication and an arrogance which borders on the hubristic. This display of bratty behavior shows you to be a virago, termagant, harridan, nag, scold or shrew, unfit for your position, regardless of the support of the unwashed, uneducated masses who have made California into the laughing stock of the nation.

What I am writing to you, Senator, are the thoughts countless millions of Americans have about Congress, but who lack the energy, ability or time to convey them. Under the democrats, some don't even have the 44 cents to buy the stamp. Regardless of their thoughts, happily for you, most accept that politicians are all pretty much the same and will vote for the one who will bring home the most bacon, even if they are aware just how corrupt that person is.

Lord Acton (1834 - 1902) so aptly charged, "Power tends to corrupt. Absolute power corrupts absolutely." Unbeknownst to you and your colleagues, Mr. Power has had his way with all of you, and we are all the worse for it.

Finally Senator, I, too, have a title. It is "Right Wing Extremist Potential Terrorist Threat." It is not of my choosing but was given to me by your Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano.

And you were offended by "ma'am"...?

Have a good day. Cheers!

Jim Hill
16808 - 103rd Avenue Court East
South Hill, WA 98375

Written by a fine American from out of state...

Boxer's term expires 2010, lets make sure that happens... and Feinstein in 2012!

Frugal Family Target Shopping

I have learned in my "old" age the value of money... I have learned it does NOT grow on trees like I once believed.... I have also learned the importance of being prepared for that rainy day... that unexpected twist in our lives...

Almost two (2) years ago I had a major wake up call. After 23 years of working his way up the corporate ladder and achieving much success as a VP of Sales - my husband's company was bought out by another company and all the VP's were terminated...... I remember the morning that my husband walked in the door and told me he had been fired like it was yesterday.... I seriously thought he was joking.... No one with his track record gets fired.... not possible - especially after he landed the largest contract the company had ever negotiated a few weeks prior... ..

I think the four months that my husband was unemployed - I was in a bubble.. I was neither afraid or sad.. I just was... there... I did learn that he depended a lot more on me than I realized.. I learned that I was the rock in our marriage... our life.... in that season of our marriage.

I know that Dusty (my husband) was in a state of shock.... bad things never happen to him... He had always been blessed with the golden touch.. This upset in his life made him question his worth.. His normal very self assured personality had diminished... He was for the first time in his entire life scared..... What I find amazing is that I was not scared... I knew that we would be okay.. I also believed that Dusty would get a job very soon.. I did not think about our friends who had lost jobs and a year had gone by with no prospects.... I did not fear.... I did have peace... and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt the peace did not come from me...

We have always been a frugal family - always paying off our credit cards each month, paying cash for cars and such, and paying extra on our mortgage payment. I thought I was doing all that I could do to save money..... until I discovered coupons and Target grocery shopping.. In my quest to stretch our dollars - I have had great time saving money with coupons....

Today shopping at Target - I saved$15.75 with normal groceries I purchase.... I love to take my kids shopping - I sent them on a scavenger hunt looking for the items that I have coupons for... I don't do it every time.. Just often enough for it to be fun every time.. The shoppers get a kick out of watching my kids pose with their coupons and found items... Today was fun.... After the shopping - I received a coupon to buy one pizza get the 2nd free... So guess what my kids had for lunch???

Today my husband is working - I am working from home... We have a learned not to take our careers for granted... we have learned to live more modestly... We have learned that God will Always provide.. We have learned that there is a time for each of us to be the strong one in the marriage... and we have learned that Target's prices beat out most super market prices...

Jerk Chicken

One of the things I love about being a mom - is teaching my kids to cook.. Today I taught Kara, my youngest how to cook my famous Jerk Chicken - I have shared this recipe before - but seriously people, if you haven't cooked it up - you are missing out on tingling your taste buds. It's really that good!

Jerk Chicken

• 1-2 pounds boneless chicken breast
• 1 envelope good seasonings - I use the generic, tastes exactly the same
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 TBSP cinnamon
• 1 tsp all spice
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1/4 -1/2 tsp red pepper

Marinate 1/2 hour or longer and grill - I make an additional batch of the sauce for dipping.
Serve with white rice and enjoy..

Smoking Decreased My Life By Six Years!!!!

I used to be a big time closet cigarette smoker.... If no one saw me it did not count, right? I was twelve years old when I had my first smoke and graduated to being a full fledged smoker by the time I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. In my college party days - forget about it... I was stinky awful... but I thought I was cool... As I got older and the affects of smoking started to take its toll on my body - coughing, stained teeth, and gosh I just stunk.. of course I did not smell me... after I quit, I then realized that I was not fooling anyone by hiding my gross habit... When I turned 40 and discovered I had high blood pressure - I got on my knees and prayed for God to take this addiction away from me. I got up threw a new pack of cigarettes in the trash... and never smoked again - never wanted too... That was almost 4 years ago...

I was reading an article this morning about the lasting affects that smoking leaves... I learned that my life expectancy has been decreased almost six (6) years... That's awful.... If you are a smoker or you were a smoker go to this web site to check it out - very interesting.... How Does Smoking Affect Your Life Span

Don't lose another day!!! Stop Smoking Today!!!

Stuffed Shell Manicotti

This is one of my favorite recipes to make and it is very very yummy - Be sure to send me a comment on how you like it..

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese - room temp
• 2 eggs
• 8 oz Mozzarella, shredded
• 2 TBSP. chopped parsley
• 1/2 tsp. salt and a dash of pepper
• 1 package manicotti noodles
• 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese
• 1 can or bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce - I use Old World Ragu..

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Blend cream cheese and eggs in a bowl until very smooth - no lumps. Stir in Mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix together. Stuff each shell with the cream cheese mixture. Coat the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan with Pam spray and then lightly coat the pan with your favorite spaghetti sauce (about 3/4 cup). Arrange shells over sauce in one layer. Pour remaining sauce over the shells. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the shells are heated completely through..

** For added flavor - I will add cooked broccoli along with the shells covered in sauce.. yummy

Enjoy - the picture isn't mine but it looks the same...

Paid Surveys - Make A Little Cash

A few years ago while playing on my computer - that's a big surprise - I clicked on a free survey to win an IPOD - from that survey I clicked on more paid surveys and before I knew it - I became a paid survey queen... It does take organizational skills and a little upfront money... This is how it usually happens..

• You are asked to try a product - you pay the shipping - you must return the product before the deadline and then you get paid for trying the product... You can keep the product if you like and you will get paid for trying it out - but you do pay the cost of the product....

• You need to keep good records of what you paid for shipping and you MUST return the product in time... VERY IMPORTANT..

• This can be time consuming but it's a good way to earn a little extra cash - especially for stay at home moms.. I was very excited to receive a check for over $500 no kidding people - it took about six (6) weeks to get it but I did receive it - after deducting what I paid for shipping and small fees a long the way - I netted $437.28.

• I believe the reason the surveys are there is because MOST people either keep the product because they like it... or they forget to return it... or are just too lazy to follow up - of course this is what the companies are hoping for...

• Many of the items are trials with the first month - free.. Be sure to cancel in time!

• Doing surveys led me to becoming a Secret Shopper - this has been fun.... One day my husband and I went to the Long Beach Aquarium on a shop and got paid to go and to eat... We had a good time - all I had to do is write a small blurb about my experience and answer a few questions... easy breezy.... we also enjoyed several mini golf places with the kids for free.. I also was paid to try out different restaurants.. yummy. A free meal with the family.. nice There are many kinds of shops - I just chose to respond to the fun activities...

Below are a few links to paid survey sites - while navigating through the sites you will come across other sites - it becomes a Pandora's Box.. but like I said - if you are a SAHM and you have the time (many don't) it can be a small way to earn a little cash... So have fun and get back to me and let me know how it goes..

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