2009

Here we go, another year, hoping for a better year. We have had a tough year, as many of you know, and are praying that it will get better. We started the year off with David having the stomach flu. (vomit from a grown man=yucky!!) It has to get better from there, right? We had a great Christmas and want to say thank you to those anonymous people we helped make it great! We were very appreciative of the support.

I am not going to really set any goals this year other than to try to eat better and exercise more. My chocolate stash has got to get smaller and not be replenished so often or my pants will no longer fit! I certainly don't want to deprive myself of a treat or two, but I guess chocolate after every meal is a little excessive.

Happy New Year to all and for those of you who do set goals - good luck, I know you can do it!

Merry Christmas

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! Enjoy this holiday season and I hope Santa brings want you wanted most!

Happy Halloween

It was a dark and stormy night... Okay, it was a warm and clear night, but it was a fun Halloween. They boys collected lots of candy. They wanted to create their own costumes this year and this is what they came up with. I thought it was very creative. They cut slits int he top of the box and taped a pillowcase underneath the slot on the inside to catch all the candy. Lots of men who were handing out candy thought it was very inventive. They got lots of compliments last night, such as best costume yet, great idea, how fun, one little lady said back in the day she went as a die too. There were also lots of jokes about gambling and lucky number 7, which the boys didn't get. I had to explain to them and told them just to laugh when people were making comments about gambling. I think they did a great job of coming up with their own costumes and with using paint and paper we already had, the total cost for both $1.70. Pretty darn good!

New Recipes

I am always looking for new recipes and, of course, love a good dessert recipe. I found a couple today while I was surfing the internet and thought I would share. They both look pretty easy and very tasty!

OREO TRUFFLES
2 sleeves Oreos
8 oz. softened cream cheese
Handful of white chocolate chips
Handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips

Crush the Oreos in a food processor (should be like crumbs). Pour into a mixing bowl/mixer. Add in the cream cheese and mix until well blended. Roll into balls. In a separate bowl, melt all the chocolate chips together and drizzle over balls. Hint: Melt the chips in the microwave, along with a teaspoon of Crisco. Once melted, place them in baggie & cut the corner of the bag (a very small hole) and drizzle over the balls. Even better, use an icing bag if you have one. Store truffles in the fridge. Yield: About 30 truffles



BLACK-BOTTOM BANANA BARS
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. baking cocoa

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; beat until thoroughly combined. Blend in the bananas. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide batter in half. Add cocoa to half; spread into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Spoon remaining batter on top and swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the bars test done. Cool.

Bon Appetite!!

Yipee!!

I have not had to put gas in my car for three weeks thanks to being able to walk to work and having no money to go shopping so I just stay home. Today, I went to Costco and got some gas and was delighted to see that it was down to 2.79 a gallon. Here's to hoping that this trend continues and that we can see below 2.50 before long! Yipee!!

Why is it that every Sunday I am so excited to be done with church? is that a bad

Another Year Older

Okay, so another year has gone by and I am one year older. This year has gone by really fast. What people say is right, the older I get, the faster time goes by. I really appreciated all the wishes for a good day (I even got some good wishes from work, which is unusual), and I must say, it was a really good day!