I got ripped off...

Do you remember me telling all of you how Nisha told me that California oranges were so much better than Florida oranges, and that she was right on, as she usually is. I've been buying the BEST oranges at the grocery this month, and ALWAYS California navels.

But, a few weeks ago, before I knew the difference, LC told me that some lady was selling oranges at work for the Kiwanis. And I have fond memories of big crates of oranges from long ago that we used to purchase from these organizations as a child. So, naturally, I tell him to go for it.

So he did, and OMG, girls, you should have seen what he brought home a couple of nights ago. It didn't even closely resemble a crate, it was this tiny little box of 12 shriveled, hard little oranges that looked like JUICE ORANGES from FLORIDA, and they tasted TOTALLY DRY, TOTALLY HORRIBLE, AND TOTALLY JUICELESS. What a RIPOFF!!!! Twelve little oranges for $14.00 - ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

Oh, those darned Kiwanis anyway, they should be ashamed of themselves. Learn from my mistakes, ladies, read that label and if it says Florida, PUT IT BACK!!!! It's definitely NOT a good thing!!!

Here's whats happening today in Heavensville...

I'm busier than a one-armed pimp in a b*tch slapping contest, but instead of pacing myself, I keep thinking up more things to do....

My latest is this:

A couple of years ago I bought this nifty little S'More Maker, and have I used it, NOT - but this is the year. I've decided that when the kids come home, we are going to decorate those cute little Williams-Sonoma Train Cars and make S'Mores.

So, what's the big deal, well, a couple of years ago I saw Martha Stewart make marshmallows, and naturally I thought it was just the neatest thing ev-er, so I'm going to give it a go. Click here for the recipe.

And today, I saw this site that had not only made homemade marshmallows, but also had made homemade graham crackers. Access the site HERE!

Now, my original idea was to do little gourmet S'Mores, using my homemade marshmallows, Andes Chocolate Mints, Squares of Dark Chocolate Dove Bars, Hershey's Special Chocolate Bars with Almonds, and Pepperidge Farm Chessman Cookies.

But now, I'm thinking I should try and bake homemade graham crackers. Hmmmm, sounds like a project for Linds and I. Dilly is the baker, she'll help me.

Also have to make doggie treats - it's a yearly thing, you can check out my recipe for them HERE. I posted this recipe a few years ago on Holiday Favorites, and it's a goodie... If you're in a hurry and don't want to use a bone cutter, you can always use a noodle cutter and cut them in thin strips. The dogs won't care. *grin*

~ jan

Why can't we have good cartoons like this, anymore. This one is positively ADORABLE - Tom and Jerry - my FAVES!!!!

Take a minute...

Grab a cup of hot tea, crank up your speakers and enjoy. One of my very favorite renditions of this song. What's not to love about Dolly. She's as sweet as Spun Sugar.... And gravelly voiced ole' Rod Stewart isn't bad, either...

This is why you don't ' bring this stuff home from the store....

I simply ADORE cherry covered chocolates, Brach's have always been my faves, but I never see them anymore.

So I'm shopping last week, and I see these individually wrapped Cellas Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries. I flip them over to read the nutritionals, and they are only 60 calories per piece.

Hmmmm, that's not bad, just one point each, so I buy them. WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Betcha can't just eat one!!!

Oh no, Miz Piggy here has eaten the whole box of twenty-four, except for these token four that are left, and which will in all probability be consumed by tonight. I'm not bringing this stuff into the house ANYMORE!!!!! I'm NOT... I have NO willpower - NONE!!! And I might as well zero them out and calculate how many calories i've ingested - let's see, 24x60 = 1440 calories *huge sigh*

On a happier note, see the little Chef. My buddy V bought him for me years ago, and I always put him out at Christmas. He used to hold a gingerbread boy, and I actually still have it, just needs to be super glued back on....

Miz Piggy should do something productive like repair the little chef and leave the chocolate covered cherries alone!!!!!!

It's a family tradition...

It's the most STUPID movie, ever, but we all love it. We watch it year after year after year and laugh like we've never seen it before.... So, watch this trailer, and see if it doesn't give you a giggle, too.. ~ jan

The M&M's letter to Santa...

You're looking at the typewriter in my living room. It's the one that Daddy used when he went to Lockyear's Business College in Heavensville in the early 50's. The older I get, the more I enjoy using things that belonged to my parents...



If you click on the picture, another window will open and you will be able to read the letter...

This is SO cute... CLICK ON THE PIX for an up close view...

See this Christmas Theme. For those of you who use FireFox as a browser, you can have it, too, thanks to my buddy, Hooterville, she ALWAYS finds the good stuff...

If you're unsure how to install it, it's easy - here's how.

CLICK HERE TO INSTALL IT, now you see a page with a little button that says INSTALL NOW. Click on the button to install the theme to your FireFox browser.

When it finishes downloading, close FireFox - then reopenFireFox, and go to TOOLS/ADD-ONS/on the file menu, and you will a Tinseltown Theme - Click on the box that says USE THEME, Close Firefox Again, and then when you reopen FireFox again, it will be there. Even the little slider bar is cute, it's a candy cane. You gotta have it, girlfriends...

Enjoy. ~ jan

I'm trying men for a change...

That headline got your attention, I bet....

Okay, here's the deal, look at my Books on My Bedside Table widget in the right sidebar. Notice, male authors, MEN. I never read men, EV-ER, a lot of you know that, but I'm rethinking it. Giving them another chance.

And so far I'm finding that they are just as boring as they ever were. Oh, they are full of adventure, tall tales and excitement, but they just don't have the touch. What I need is a GAY author. Yep, that's what I'm looking for next...

In the meantime, I'm reading Dean Koontz's, The Darkest Evening of the Year, and while it's a good read, it's just not what I like. He, most certainly, is NOT gay...

Do you remember these????

I'm looking for peppermint puffs. I can buy them online, but SURELY I can find them locally. I loved them as a little girl, the big puffy pillows of peppermint that dissolve in your mouth almost instantly.

I had hubby take me to Rural King last weekend, because they have bulk candy, and I bought what they called peppermint "puffs", but they were just logs of peppermint. I didn't think they looked right, but I tried them, those suckers never would dissolve in my mouth, they were just regular pieces of peppermint, grrrrrrrr.

I was talking with V about this today. We were also reminiscing about ribbon hard candy, we both love that, too.

So if ANY of you out there have seen peppermint puffs, please send me an email.

~ jan

Lord, have MERCY!!!!!

I thought Joan VanArk looked bad, but look at the getup that Miss Aretha wore to the Kennedy Center Honors.

The headline with the article said, "Aretha Franklin wears the White House curtains!"

The straps on this getup must be cutting her shoulders to the BONE!!!

TO-THE-BONE!!!

There are just no words...

Doesn't this just scare the Beejeejus right outta you....

Eeeeekkkkkkks, this is Hollywood gone WRONG. I used to enjoy watching Joan VanArk on Knotts Landing back in the 80's... But she is living proof positive that you just can't mess with Mother Nature.

Holy Batman and Robin, she is downright SCARY!!!!

"Actress Joan Van Ark of Knots Landing fame could turn back time – it's safe to say the actress might think twice before ruining her once stunning looks with cosmetic surgery

Van Ark, 64, was seen at a benefit in Hollywood wearing a sober suit, and mask-like make-up which failed to hide the fact that she has appeared to have been under the surgeon's knife. Several times."

Meteorological Info...

The length of the day is now 9.2 hrs. That’s the bad news. The good news is that in a little more than two weeks, we’ll hit rock bottom for darkness. Then it starts going up. What a nice thought.

Just for fun...

Favorite Things Have Arrived.....

I've had such fun reading all of your emails and putting together your lists.

I hope you all enjoy them as much as I have, and thanks to all of you who so generously contributed your favorites. Much of this site would not be possible without the input and the friendship of so many of you. Girlfriends are a wonderful thing.

To access them, just click in the Favorite Things area in the left sidebar, or CLICK HERE!


Enjoy, Enjoy... ~ jan

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
area paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Today's the Day...

I'm working on favorite things, check back in an hour or so... ~ jan

Okay, here's the deal...

I have been knee deep in Christmas decorations for the past two days. The house has been pretty much destroyed, trying to get it all out, all up. Is it finished - NOT. Tree is up, not decorated, yet. Mantle is finished, dining room and kitchen are done... And FAVORITE THINGS???? NOT DONE!!! Patience, dear hearts, tomorrow, I pinkie swear..........

Tomorrow, tomorrow, it's only a day away.....

It was just one of those nights....

Okay, this is more info than you want to hear, but haven't we all had these nights???

I was off to bed early, took a warm bath, went to bed at 9pm with a BIG mug of hot tea, all cozy, relaxed, THEN, I decided to check out some Christmas present ideas on Amazon, so I fired up my laptop, after finding what I wanted to look up, I decided to play some stupid, silly computer game. At 11:15 the battery on my laptop died, I was still playing that dumb game, and by now I'm totally awake, no chance of just drifting off to sleep. So I make a bathroom run, settle in for the night,FINALLY get to sleep, and LC jumps up and turns on the light. He thought Munchie was crying. Arughhh, it's 1AM, Munchie is fast asleep at the foot of the bed. He was DREAMING... I'm awake, I make a potty run, go back to sleep and it's now 3AM - I'm awake, I HAVE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S THAT DAMN MUG OF TEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Back to sleep, fast forward to 5:30AM - Munchie is whining, she has to go outside, I wake up LC, go once again to the bathroom, and I'm back to sleep. It's 7:30AM - he comes bursting in the room singing friggin' Jingle Bells. I'm about ready to lose it by now. And today we have to put up the Christmas tree and decorate the house. And I'm so tired I feel pretty much like a pile of day old dog doodoo...

Is this why old people never drink fluids after 6pm. Is this what my future holds? Calgon take me away.................................

On a more positive note, I'm not retaining fluid this morning *lame smile*

I'm off to decorate, Favorite Things posts tomorrow, I'm sure you'll enjoy reading about all our favorite things more than you have enjoyed reading about my potty runs....

I recycle my apple cores...

Veronica brought Michigan apples to me from her Thanksgiving trip to South Haven, and they taste AMAZING. I'm not the only one who thinks so, The M&M's line up for bites when I'm eating them and then I take turns giving them the cores to chew on. Oh, I wish you could see them, they lick and tug, and rake their teeth over those cores, drooling and making little doggie messes, but oh, do they love them....

It's those simple things, ladies....

I admit it....

I enjoy Martha Stewart, I always have, always will. Am I fan, well I don't think I am, but I do follow her, so maybe I am.

Anyhoo, her Martha Blog is SO interesting. If you want to see some lovely pictures from Puget Sound, and great Thanksgiving photos, give it a look - CLICK HERE -

I like to think this is a more personal, gentler side of Martha....

And YES, I'm still working on Favorite Things, I have EVERYBODY'S finished except MINE.... Soon, ladies, soon....

Cancer Prevention -

I read the following article this morning, no surprises, really, but something we should all read.

~ jan

People have long wondered if a healthy diet can prevent cancer, but the answer has been a little unclear — until recently. The World Cancer Research Fund has now reviewed 7,000 medical studies and concluded that, yes, your diet (and weight) can affect whether you get cancer or not. While this large analysis focused only on past research studies, you may still be surprised by the scientists' recommendations.The researchers' diet recommendations are to:

limit red meat to no more than 2.5 ounces per day

eat no processed meats (bacon, sausage)

limit alcohol to two drinks for men and one drink for women per day

avoid sugary drinks like juices and sodas

limit sodium to 2000 mg per day

Other recommendations beyond those for diet included:

exercise every other day

get your nutrients from foods, not supplements

breastfeed your babies

control your body weight with body mass index between 18.5 and 24.9

Favorite Things...

No time to blog, working on Favorite Things. It's all coming together nicely, if you haven't sent me your faves, your missing out girlfriends. This is pretty much your last chance to send them to me -
I'll be back with a link to the list soon. Check back.

~ jan

Another one of my favorite things...

This old jar has held a LOT of goodies over the years. I change it with the seasons, and I'm getting ready to put Little Debbie Christmas Trees in it for the Christmas season. Hey, don't turn up your nose, Little Debbie Christmas Tree's are adorable...

Veronica had a jar like this in her kitchen, and I always admired it, so a few years ago, she gave me one. The lid was on loan from her until I could find a lid myself, but since possession is nine-tenths of the law, I still have it. I never found one as pretty as her green one.

If you look closely, you will see flour on the front. That's flour from my birthday cake. ( note the mixer cord in the picture). John whipped me up an Angel Food Cake Sunday morning, and dear son of mine made a bit of a mess. It was so special, I couldn't clean it off.

Yeah, right Jan, you were just too LAZY to clean it off. No, really, I didn't even notice it until I started to take the picture, and then I was like, ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... I'm such a sucker for my family.... And Veronica..... Well, she IS family to me... And she's NOT getting her green lid back, either....

Had a HUGE java jolt this am...

I'm into the Favorite Things pages, ladies. I'll let you know later today when I'll publish them. If you haven't sent yours to me, there is still time....

Oh, won't you all be glad when this is over so I will leave you alone. Until I think of something else, there is ALWAYS something else going on in my little pea brain...

Holy Schmoly, I'm totally WIPED.....

The old gray mare,
She ain't what she used to be
Ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be
The old gray mare,
She ain't what she used to be
Many long years ago.

Happy Birthday to me.....

This turning 58 isn't so bad after all. John and Tonia have been here all weekend, taken me out for yummy food, shopped 'til we dropped and last night about 8pm - SURPRISE, Ryan and Lindsay came home early from Seattle so they could be here today for my birthday...

Family is a wonderful thing... Ahhh, the boys and the Dillys, LC and the M&M's and my Granddog, Oreo - all here for my birthday.

Jan doin' the happy dance.....

A little family trick for you this holiday weekend...

It's Sunday morning, the family wants pancakes. Well, let me tell you the niftiest idea I've read about it in a long time....

Get your griddle hot, take you pancake batter, dip a spoonful and make a smiley face on the griddle - two dots for the eyes, and a smiley mouth, and then let it cook until the edges just start to brown, then go ahead and pour your pancake batter over the top of the smiley face and cook the pancake like you normally do.

When you flip it, you have a smiley face on your pancake, a bit browner because you cooked it first - I saw a picture, drats, I didn't save it. It really special, trust me... give it a try. I bet you get smiles at your house with this trick.

~ jan

Favorite Things...

I'm getting some really good favorite things, ladies. I'll be publishing the list next week, so keep those emails coming in.

Let me give you another tease - Artwork by Gustav Klimt, Austrian Painter (1862-1918)

Happy Thanksgiving from Heavensville....

I've got exactly FIVE minutes to spare this morning, the house is humming, pots are simmering, chicken is stewing, and family are enroute.

I was thinking as I was cooking this morning, that I have so many nifty kitchen gadgets, I should do a video blog and show you some of my stash. More ideas for your Christmas lists.

So I'll do that, later in the weekend, when I catch my breath...

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday today - family and friends, that's what it's all about...

Well, that and the pecan pie *wink* and the buttered rolls, and the noodles, and and and and...

I'm thankful for...

It's almost 9am, this day before Thanksgiving, the food is in the fridge, preparations are about to get underway, John and Tonia will be home tomorrow, Ry and Lindsay made it safely to Seattle, and I am thankful because...

Hubby and I are healthy, my children and their spouses now live within a three hour radius, and we get to see them often, the M&M's are so precious, and such a joy to me , and I'm thankful for my wonderful family of girlfriends, who bring me spasms of giggles and the warm fuzzy feelings that come from years of friendship....

And, I am truly grateful that my computer has not only a 320 gig harddrive, but an external harddrive as well, and that I have a 24" monitor so that I can have lots and lots of applications on screen at once, and that the Alzheimer's hasn't kicked in to an extent that I can no longer blog and build webpages. And you thought I was going to be TOTALLY serious. *grin* You all know me better than that.

Happy Thanksgiving to your family from all of us in Heavensville. May your day be blessed with yummy food, minimal tummy discomfort and little weight gain...

~ jan

Favorite Things...

People are starting to respond, I'm getting lists of favorite things. I've got some goodies for all of you, but I need MORE...

Let me give you a couple of teases - velour sweats from Target, and Lucky jeans for girls with "booty"...

So fire me those emails, next week I'll publish Jan & Friends Favorite Things on the Dish....

They're still filming...

A scene from Sex and the City, filmed this week in NYC. Oh, I am so going to be at the movies on opening night, a pack of gummy bears, a diet coke, and a tub popcorn in my lap... ahhh, life's simple pleasures...

Let's talk about oranges...

Do you have one of these nifty little orange peelers??? Well, I didn't, and in fact, I had never heard of them until Nisha told me that the school janitor had thrown hers away and how upset she was. She had it for like 20 years (remember, Nish, doesn't throw out ANYTHING), so I found them on eBay, bought several of them, mailed her one, and discovered for myself what she was talking about.

OMG, this thing is so COOL!!! You make wagon wheel spokes on the outside of your orange, and then the orange skin just peels right off. It's an amazin' raisin.

AND, just last week, I was complaining about my navel oranges not being good, and she asked me what kind I bought, California or Florida? Well, I was clueless, but the little tag thingie on the orange said Florida, and she said, NEVER buy Florida oranges, they don't have the flavor that California ones do. So yesterday, I was at Schnucks, picked up a bag of CALIFORNIA navel oranges. Oh my, she was right AGAIN. These things are wonderful. Half the bag is gone. History.

I don't know what my deal is, I've been craving oranges and apples, and now I'm craving stuffed olives. If I wasn't 57 almost 58 years old, I would think I was preggers....

Oh, here's a link to that handy dandy little peeler, if you want to order one... and SURPRISE, it's good old TUPPERWARE!!! Now that's a blast from the past, Tupperware isn't around like it once was...

Here's the link...

Take a minute...

Sit back, relax, and watch this little video about a pumpkin pie. Hooterville sent it to me a bit ago, it's just a little whimsy that will make you smile. Turn on the speakers, it's a catchy little tune, too ~ jan

Click here to watch...

memories...

Wow, I actually found bird egg beans online. It's amazing how EVERYTHING in the whole world is on the net. Here's the link if you're at all curious about them - great picture, too....

BIRD EGG BEANS

And, I published the noodle recipe and the raisin pie recipe on Jan Can Cook. Click here to access them... ~ jan

A few of my "FAVORITE" things

Silpat
Williams Sonoma Chop & Measure
Silicone Pie Crust Shield
The Martha Blog

Christmas Cookies

I just published a recipe for Key Lime Spritz Cookies on the Jan Can Cook board. This is a new recipe from Midwest Living, the girlfriends that I've sent it to so far are loving the thought of it, and have plans to make it. I hope it's as good as it looks.

It's a new twist to an old fave - CLICK HERE to see if you might like to add it to your cookie rotation this year... ~ jan

Good one...

A woman goes to the doctor for her yearly physical..
The nurse starts with certain basic items.
"How much do you weigh?" she asks.
"115," she says.
The nurse puts her on the scale.
It turns out her weight is 140.

The nurse asks, "Your height?"
"5 foot 8," she says.
The nurse checks and sees that she only measures 5' 5".

She then takes her blood pressure
And tells the woman it is very high.
"Of course it's high!" she screams,
"When I came in here I was tall and slender!
Now I'm short and fat!"

I have this amazing heating pad....

It's the perfect warm temperature, it's flexible, it's fuzzy, and it has no batteries or cord. It keeps me toasty warm all thru the night....

It's Maggie!! OMG, with this cooler weather, this little dog heads under the covers and cuddles right next to me. Am I afraid I will squish her, not really, but I do worry about her breathing under the blankets. Trish assures me that London does the same thing.

You should try a warm dog in your bed. No, no, no, not a man, a REAL dog... Oh, I forgot, men ARE dogs... Just kidding, just kidding, don't want the token males that read this site to email me. It's a joke, guys, a JOKE!

bad girl, bad girl... *grin* ~ jan

Now this is just the damndest thing...

Okay ladies, now that I have your attention with my title, my buddy Hooterville, who is the guru of all things web savvy, oh my that woman is a WONDER, anyhoo, she sent me this link today. It's for this site called "What Should I Read Next."

You just go to this site, put in the title of a book that you read and really liked, along with the author, and up pops up a whole list of possibilities that are similar to the book you read and really liked. Pretty sweet, huh?

Yep, I think so too, in fact it's so sweet that I'm going to put a link to it in the right sidebar above What's on my Bedside Table.

Click here and check it out for yourself... ~ jan

That darned pie....

Ok, it was too good to be true, two points for a piece of pumpkin pie. Actually, the crust turned out pretty good, the filling was perfect, it was a beautiful pie.... but, *sigh* it had a whang to it. I'm wondering if it's because I didn't have sugar free maple syrup and I used Mrs. Butterworth's Sugar Free Syrup instead. I'm thinking that if I would have just left that syrup out entirely it would have been fine. The spices were right, it was really good, except for the aftertaste.

It was too much to expect, I know, and I was so excited. I might try it again and leave out the syrup, or maybe I'll try another filling in that crust, the crust was okay, it was almost good, actually...

Hungry Girl...

Do you all know about Hungry Girl? If not, boy are you missing out... Hungry Girl is a healthy eater's best friend. Notice I said healthy eater, not dieter - it's my latest approach in tricking my mind into staying away from the bad stuff. We'll see how this works out for me six months from now.

Anyhoo, Hungry Girl has a website - hungrygirl.com, and she also publishes a daily, Monday thru Friday, newsletter that is just DA BOMB!!! She has all the latest products, recipes, complete with weight watcher points and today she published a pumpkin pie recipe.

Now the crust for this pie is made with Fiber One Cereal, and this cereal, which happens to be just 60 calories a cup, is pretty good with Splenda and blueberries sprinkled on it. I've heard about this piecrust for awhile now, and have never made it. You pulverize the cereal, mix it with Splenda, light butter, water and cinnamon and Voila, you have a faux graham cracker crust ... So I got my fanny in gear this morning, made the pie, and it's in the oven as we speak.

Want the recipe - go on over to Eating Right - I published it on that board, so we could have it in the recipe archives.

CLICK HERE to access my Eating Right blog and view the recipe, and I'll let you all know how this pie turns out - 2 points per slice - that's Weight Watcher talk for REALLY low calorie - I may have TWO slices!!!!

~ jan

Progress...

See that little gingerbread Christmas tree in the left sidebar - click on it, and Holiday Goodies are back!!!! Yep, I've rebuilt the site, all the wonderful Christmas recipes are back - they're all here, Barb's Awesome Pumpkin Bread, two SUPERB fudge recipes, Veronica's Mackinaw Island Butter Pecan Fudge, and Buttercream Fudge, Lindsay's great Artichoke Dip, and lots more, including those doggie treats that the M&M's are such a huge fan of... Enjoy....

Spring Fling Salads are up, also - they're right below the Holiday Goodies.... ~ jan

Wet Pants

Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives.

The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."

He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered

As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap.

The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"

Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.

She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. You've done enough, you klutz!"

Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."

May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good..

Here he is gang....

Ok, Linds fired me an email this morning, "So how come LC didn't make the cut, she asked?" This afternoon I talked to Tonia and she said,
"Where's Larry in the family pix?"

Okay, okay, I fess up, he didn't make the blog pix yesterday because I'm next to him in all the pictures. He looked good, I didn't, remember.

Sooooo, here he is, I cropped myself out. Shoulda done that yesterday and saved the Dilly's from bein' in a tiz....

We are FAM-I-LY....

I absolutely DETEST corduroy pants, why did I even wear the damned things!!!!!

Grace Kelly at Sotheby's

Jean sent me a great link this morning of several photos of the Grace Kelly collection, currently on display at Sotheby's. If you want a little class in your morning, take a peek. Wonderful clothes, jewelry, even a collection of eyewear, and lots of memorabilia - enjoy. ~ jan

LINK HERE...

They're All Here...

All of your favorite Thanksgiving recipes are ready for the holidays.

Lindsay's Aunt Jan & Kaysi's Cranberry Salad, Barb's Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pumpkin Bread, Veronica's Rhubarb pie, and lots, lots more. You can access them by clicking on the Turkey in the left sidebar.

Enjoy - they're all VUNDERBAR!!!!!

~ jan

What I'm up to today...

Don't these look YUMMY????

SURPRISE, they're a Weight Watcher Recipe - only 2 points per muffin, for those non-weight watcher people, that's approximately 100 calories. Not bad, huh.

You can access the recipe on the Eating Right Board...

Here's the link - CLICK HERE -


I needed to do something healthy after my little binge yesterday. So I'm putting a chicken in the oven to roast and making these muffins.

Now, back to that binge... I made Butterscotch Brownies for Jean for her birthday, and then last night LC had a meeting at the house, so I made them again. They are SO easy, SO simple, SO FAT LADEN!!!! AND, of course I got into them and ate TWO!!! But, seriously, these brownies are the absolute best brownies that you will EVER taste.

I've had so many people just go gaga over them, and they are so simple to make, it's almost embarrassing. The butterscotch flavor comes from brown sugar and butter, not from those icky, artifical tasting butterscotch bits. So, if you want a goodie, it's on Milly Scraps, but here's the link for you - CLICK HERE! I also posted the chocolate version, on the left side of the page, but they aren't nearly as good as the butterscotch ones.

And, I'm continuing to work on the Thanksgiving Goodies page - gotta get that one rolling this week. It's a blustery, sunny day in Heavensville, the M&M's are by my side, hubby is going to work, I'm listening to smooth jazz and working on those pages.... Life is good...

Guess who's having a birthday....

No, no, look closely, that's not a gun, it's her BIGMA, the zoom lens on her camera, and she's not a rebel, she just looks like one in this pix, well actually she does like to think she's a rebel, and yes that's a playground toy she's on, some people get senile when they get old, ya know...

This is my life long, since we were toddlers buddy, Jean, aka Hooterville. She loves this picture, the old scoundrel, I think she's having some kind of late life crisis myself. She's 's getting up there in years now, she's SOOOOOOOOOOOO much older than me - she's actually 59 today! shhhhh, don't tell, she'll shoot me with her BIGMA!!!

OMG, I'm so old, i remember flour sacks, well... My Aunt Hazel always hemmed them and gave them to me for dishcloths - nothing works better...

IN THAT LONG AGO TIME WHEN THINGS WERE SAVED,
WHEN ROADS WERE GRAVELED AND BARRELS WERE STAVED,
WHEN WORN-OUT CLOTHING WAS USED AS RAGS,
AND THERE WERE NO PLASTIC WRAP OR BAGS,
AND THE WELL AND THE PUMP WERE WAY OUT BACK,
A VERSITILE ITEM, WAS THE FLOUR SACK.

PILLSBURY'S BEST, MOTHER'S AND GOLD MEDAL,TOO
STAMPED THEIR NAMES PROUDLY IN PURPLE AND BLUE
. THE STRING SEWN ON TOP WAS PULLED AND KEPT;
THE FLOUR EMPTIED AND SPILLS WERE SWEPT.
THE BAG WAS FOLDED AND STORED IN A SACK
THAT DURABLE, PRACTICAL FLOUR SACK.

THE SACK COULD BE FILLED WITH FEATHER AND DOWN,
FOR A PILLOW, OR T'WOULD MAKE A SLEEPING GOWN.
IT COULD CARRY A BOOK AND BE A SCHOOL BAG,
OR BECOME A MAIL SACK SLUNG OVER A NAG.
IT MADE A VERY CONVENIENT PACK,
THAT ADAPTABLE, COTTON FLOUR SACK.

BLEACHED AND SEWN, IT WAS DUTIFULLY WORN
AS BIBS, DIAPERS, OR KERCHIEF ADORNED
. IT WAS MADE INTO SKIRTS, BLOUSES AND SLIPS
AND MOM BRAIDED RUGS FROM ONE HUNDRED STRIPS
. SHE MADE RUFFLED CURTAINS FOR THE HOUSE OR SHACK,
FROM THAT HUMBLE BUT TREASURED FLOUR SACK!

AS A STRAINER FOR MILK OR APPLE JUICE,
TO WAVE MEN IN, IT WAS A VERY GOOD USE,
AS A SLING FOR A SPRAINED WRIST OR A BREAK,
TO HELP MOTHER ROLL UP A JELLY CAKE,
AS A WINDOW SHADE OR TO STUFF A CRACK,
WE USED A STURDY, COMMOM FLOUR SACK!

AS DISH TOWELS, EMBROIDERED OR NOT,
THEY COVERED UP DOUGH, HELPED PASS PANS SO HOT,
TIED UP DISHES FOR NEIGHBORS IN NEED,
AND FOR MEN OUT IN THE FIELD TO SEED.
THEY DRIED DISHES FROM PAN, NOT RACK
THAT ABSORBENT, HANDY FLOUR SACK!

WE POLISHED AND CLEANED STOVE AND TABLE,
SCOURED AND SCRUBBED FROM CELLAR TO GABLE,
WE DUSTED THE BUREAU AND OAK BED POST,
MADE COSTUMES FOR OCTOBER (A SCARY GHOST)
AND A PARACHUTE FOR A CAT NAMED JACK.
FROM THAT LOWLY, USEFUL OLD FLOUR SACK!

SO NOW MY FRIENDS, WHEN THEY ASK YOU
AS CURIOUS YOUNGSTERS OFTEN DO,
"BEFORE PLASTIC WRAP, ELMERS GLUE
AND PAPER TOWELS, WHAT DID YOU DO?"
TELL THEM LOUDLY AND WITH PRIDE DON'T LACK,
"GRANDMOTHER HAD THAT WONDERFUL FLOUR SACK!"

Sneak Peek at WS Christmas Cars.....

Ryan and Lindsay were in Williams-Sonoma in Lexington this week taking a cooking class, and they saw what's new for Christmas. It's not in the catalogs yet, but this looks like this is going to be their little "goodie" for the season. It's a Winter Wonderland Car Cake Pan. Pretty cute, huh...





Now I'm thinking this is going to be THE item to buy this year. So I'm going to be ordering it up in the next couple of weeks and beat the rush.

You can read all about them and order them HERE.











Last year's hot item was this train set, and yes, I bought it, and NO, I didn't use it. But I am going to this year. I'm going to bake the train cars ahead, freeze them, and when everyone is here for Christmas we can decorate them.















This snowman was also in their catalog last year, and Linds bought it. So we have all kinds of stuff to play with.

I told you our family just loves Williams-Sonoma, I'm sure yours does, too - so check out those cars...
And, if you are enamored of the train or the snowman, they are all Nordic Ware molds, WS doesn't have them any longer, but I found them online at Kitchen Krafts. You can check them out here.

I also have the pumpkin loaf pan mold shown on the Kitchen Krafts site, I ordered it a few seasons back from WS. Yes, I told you I was a sucker for this stuff, but you have to admit, it's just WONDERFUL!!! And besides, I'm making memories, yep, that's what I'm doing, making memories...

Don't you just love fall mornings....

It's a typical morning, I'm in my much loved, on it's last leg, ratty bathrobe, brewing a pot of my favorite Komodo Dragon Starbucks Coffee, making ham and eggs and toast for LC... It's cozy in the kitchen this morning, with all the breakfast smells surrounding me. Life is peaceful. Of course, I'm having a piece of diet toast smeared with a wedge of Laughing Cow Light Cheese and some 10 Calorie Smuckers Peach Preserves. But it's what I do to keep the scale stable, and I've grown to enjoy the food I eat, instead of being upset because of what I can't eat... Well, for today I am.

So here I sit, sipping my coffee, thumbing thru what I consider to be our family bible, The Williams Sonoma Thanksgiving catalog. Ahh, Williams Sonoma, the most wonderful store ever invented for foodie types like our family. We all are huge fans, and life is good....

I posted a new munchiebusiness.com layout this morning. If you don't normally enter the Daily Dish via Munchie Business, go check it out...

Will there ever be fall color???

I don't know about where you live, but Heavensville is sadly lacking fall color this year. The leaves are still green on a lot of the trees, or they've fallen off, the rest of them are not that pretty.

It's almost November, and we still have green leaves. That's not right. People should be raking, I should be driving around on Milly crunching leaves under my tires... But not this year.

And so here I sit, even though it's a warm day, I'm building a November web page. I'm so computer obsessed. I need one of those ten step programs, I'm thinking....

I guess I thought it was winter...

Last night, just at dark, I'm in my flannel jammies, sitting in the living room, the fireplace is crackling, the classical music is playing, the M&M's by my side, and I'm reading Garden Spells. Sounds idyllic, doesn't it, a cozy night... WRONG.... After fifteen minutes I was outside, sitting on my concrete bench, absolutely ROASTING. I was hot all night, the house never cooled back off and I spent most of my evening going out and sitting on that stupid bench trying to cool off. What was I thinking puttig on flannel and turning on the fireplace.... I went to bed with the ceiling fan on, I was so hot. LC thought I was nuts, he was freezing.

I guess I'm just trying to hurry the season....

Monster Cookies

Tonight I was reading Elise's Food Blog, Simply Recipes, one of my favorite sites, and she posted a recipe for Monster Cookies.

John has been making Monster Cookies ever since his Dayton days. He had a neighbor that was a caterer, and she was a big fan of these cookies and shared the recipe with him. If you've never had them, they are vunderbar, and would be great to make for Halloween.

Here's the link to the recipe - check them out. ~ jan

Who would you want to sit next to?

I saw on television this morning that a survey showed the person most people would want to sit next to on a plane on an International flight was Oprah Winfrey, followed by Bill Gates and Angelina Jolie.

I thought about this, and while it would be interesting sitting next to Oprah, she wouldn't be my number one choice.... So who would I like to sit next to? It would probably be the elusive Mo Jackson, queen of all things scrapbooking. And why? Because, I could talk incessantly for hours about all things vintage, my favorite doodads and what she's designing next. This scrapbooking obsession of mine continues to mesmerize me at this stage of my life and this lady who absolutely oozes talent and creativity would have to be totally fascinating.. And since she is famous in cyber scrapping circles for being anonymous, it would be amazing to see her up close and personal.

On a more personal note, I would love to have my sons captive for several hours, without distractions.

And finally, I would really enjoy sitting next to Cesar Millan, The Dog Whisperer. Wouldn't that be a fascinating trip, finding out all about my fur babies and what makes them do the doggie things they do.

What about you, who would you like to sit next to?

This guy is right on...

George Carlin, speaking on The View this morning about the California fires -

"People think nature is outside of them. They don't take into [themselves] the idea that nature is a part of them." Pointing to his chest, he said, "Nature is in here, and if you're in tune with it, like the Indians – the balance of life, the harmony of nature – if you understand that, you don't overbuild, you don't do all this moron stuff."

I so totally agree with this man. I've talked before about how people have "evolved" to the point that, living in their plastic societies they have no concepof nature and don't grasp how it governs our lives.

They, and I say they, not we, because I'm a country girl, I grew up with a mother that killed the chickens we ate, and we gleaned popcorn in the fields in the fall, instead of buying it in the store, and we gardened and we canned in order to survive, so I really do understand nature, I lived it, but THEY, meaning so many people today who shop in grocery stores, never associating the food that they eat with nature that produced it. They don't stop to think that the flour or the oats or rice in the cereal they buy their children, grew from seeds in the ground, or that the steaks and chicken they buy or eat in restaurants were once living, breathing animals. People have "evolved" to the point that they disassociate what goes into their bodies with the nature of the food chain.

We eat "processed food" totally oblivious to the chemicals and man made ingredients that is put into it, when we would be much better off eating our food in it's natural state. But there is no natural state, because in our greed to produce more faster, bigger and better, chemicals have been added to the soil and sprayed on the plants, and animals have been injected with growth hormones so that they mature more quickly. It's no wonder that cancer is rampant in our society.

I'm not well versed enough to talk about the huge problem of global warming, but food I understand, and it is so sad that we have "evolved" into a society that would have no idea of how to take care of themselves or their families, if a catastrophic disaster, man made or natural, were to occur...

~ jan

Best coffee, EV-ER.....

Normally, I'm not a big fan of flavored coffee, but O-M-G, ladies, this stuff is the nectar of the gods!!! Lindsay brought it last weekend from Fresh Market in Lexington. She says they can't keep it in stock, she got the last package on the shelf.

I'm drinking it right now, just had to share, and to tell you that you can ORDER IT ONLINE!!!! Yep, hey a whole pound of this stuff, including shipping, isn't much more expensive than a trip to Starbucks, if you take hubby along, and it's TO-DIE-FOR!!!! I have some fat free Half and Half in it, my absolutely favorite milk product, and I'm thinking that I could squirt on a dollop of fat free Reddi Whip, and then grate a bit of nutmeg on top, and I would have a drink worthy of coffee shop status.... If you want a treat this fall, try this stuff - you can order it HERE!

BTW, Fresh Market is the most wonderful grocery store... Why can't Heavensville be civilized and have one??? Not fair!!

Priceless...

It's a dark, dreary morning in Heavensville, but Hooterville sent me a link to a video of Snowball, the Cockatoo, dancing to the Backstreet Boys. It's just the funniest thing, so if you need a giggle, give it a watch. Click HERE!

Hey, this necklace looks pretty good, I'm KEEPING it!!! And YES, I realize it's crooked, and all the stones are twisted too far to one side...

I want....

I want to, but *sigh I am old, and I can't......

• Grow my hair long and wear it in a pony tail. Let it dry in the wind and scoop the curls up in a clip.
• Wear outlandish, funky clothes, lots of kohl eyeliner, and skinny boots with 4 inch heels.
  
• Rip my jeans to shreds, and put them on with those boots, a great belt slung low, with a black, beaded shirt and go out for a great night on the town.
• Take a vacation to the Florida Keys, ride a horse bareback on the beach and turn golden brown in the sun in a sleek tankini.
• Eat pepperjack cheeseburgers cooked medium well with crispy fries squirted with Plochmann's Mustard. Home made oatmeal raisin cookies with pecans in the chilly fall afternoons, eaten by the fireplace with a cold glass of milk and a great book, and no guilt about eating them.
  
• For Munchie to not grow older and for Mags to stay young forever.

But I cannot do these things, because I am older now, and instead this is what I do.

• Cut my hair choppy short because it is thin now, and coat it with every product known to man woman in an attempt to make it look thicker and not "styled" like an old woman.
  
• Vow to not wear jeans with an elastic waistband for at least another ten years, shop for a black beaded shirt that looks age appropriate and forget totally about any kind of belt. And the boots? Let's not even go there.
  
• Forgo most vacation plans because I enjoy my own bed at night and the comfort of home.
  
• Eat Boca Burgers and Light potato chips smeared with Plochmann's Mustard. And make that lite chocolate chip cookie recipes I posted on Eating Right sometime ago, and just have two cookies, by the fire, with a glass of soy milk, on chilly days, with a great book, while wearing my reading glasses so that I can see the words.
  
• Live each day in the moment with the M&M's, and resolve to take more pictures of them to comfort me when they are no longer here, or young...

That's what life is, ladies, a series of compromises. Not necessarily what you want, but sometimes all that you can have... Pretty much sux, doesn't it??

And remember, it's not the things we do in life that we regret, but the things that we don't do. Life is what happens while we are busy making other plans.... And then you're old and it's too late...

Hmmmmm, maybe I WILL eat a REAL pepperjack cheeseburger and some of those cookies...

New Pages on Milly Scraps...

NEW SITE CONTENT

I've added three new pages for Veronica on the Girlfriends link, and six pages of the M&M's on the Fur Children's link today on Milly Scraps. You can access the site HERE... then go to the index page and click on the words Girlfriends or Fur Kids to check them out...

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!

It's Veronica!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIRLFRIEND!!!!

Guess who's having a birthday tomorrow????

Do you know who this is????

We've been friends for more years than either of us care to remember and I talk about her all the time on these pages.

If you don't recognize her from these pictures, check back tomorrow, and I'll tell you who the birthday girl is.....

This is why I love T. J. Maxx...

I found these plates and bowls a couple of weeks ago, I got six plates, six bowls for $44, including tax. Is this a great deal or what???? The oversized square plates are wonderful, I'm going to take them for a spin this weekend when Ry and Linds come home.

I used to think sunflowers were summer, but that's not necessarily so, I see them used often in fall displays. Love that price!!!!

Yeah, yeah, I know it's a lot of stuff on the table and the sideboard groaning board, I'm a nester, remember? It's the bounty of fall, works for me..... *wink*

The brownies were a hit!

I made the black bean brownies, pureed the beans with my immersion blender, baked them in a 9x9 pan - they were thick, they were rich, they were..... GOOD!

I topped them with some sugar free cherry pie filling, a dab of Cool Whip, and YUMMO!!!!!!!!!

For you Weight Watcher types, they were 2 points for a small brownie... Amazing what you can substitute for fat, isn't it??? And no, you would never know there were beans in the brownies. They were totally undetectable. So don't turn up your nose 'til you try them. Gotta go outside your box, girlfriends...

I NEVER go to Hardee's

I hope none of you go there, either - just read what they've come out with, they should be stopped from doing this - talk about a walking heart attack -

Click here for article...

I'm making this for LC today....

Wonder how this will turn out? I'll let you know....

It's from the WW Message Boards, I've always wanted to try it, today's the day...

1 reduced brownie mix
1 can black beans rinsed well and drained
1 cup water
put water into blender with well rinsed and drained beans puree them till smooth.,add to dry brownie mix, mix well prepared as directions on box , bake according to directions. (no one will be the wiser that it has beans in it.) They are like a cake brownie.,

You gotta love Maxine, especially at MY age....

I, MAXINE , being of sound mind and body, do not wish to be kept alive indefinitely by artificial means. Under no circumstances should my fate be put in the hands of pinhead politicians who couldn't pass ninth-grade biology if their lives depended on it, or lawyers / doctors interested in simply running up the bills.

If a reasonable amount (24HOURS) of time passes and I fail to ask for at least one of the following:

Chocolate
Glass of wine
ice cream
Margarita

Chocolate
Chicken fried steak
cream gravy
ice cream

Chocolate
Mexican food
ice cream
French fries
ice cream
Pizza

Chocolate
ice cream
cup of tea
Ice cream
KFC Chicken

Chocolate
Sex
ice cream

It should be presumed that I won't ever get better. When such a
determination is reached, I hereby instruct my appointed person and
attending physicians to pull the plug, reel in the tubes, let the "fat
lady sing". . and call it a day!

I'll see ya`all on the other side.

Energizer bunny here...

It's now almost 11pm, Sunday evening, and I have added more to milly scraps. I still have about fifteen pages to add, but if you would like to take a look at what I've done so far, go for it. You can access it HERE at millyscraps.com

~ jan

Things don't always go as planned

I've spun my wheels a lot today, working on milly scraps, not as far along as I wanted to be, but hopefully tomorrow.

Tomorrow, tomorrow,
It's only a day, away...

Women and Heart Attacks

My friend Mary sent me an article on Female Heart Attacks. READ IT - it could save your life. I put it on the GirlTalk site. Click here to access it...

I like it, I really like it....

For those of you who enter this page without going to my munchiebusiness.com entry page, go this is my new layout (thanks mo for inspiring me).

It's a goodie, I'm really happy with the way it turned out - that was my day yesterday. It takes a long time to build a page, but this one was so much fun.... I enjoyed working with all the kids childhood pictures. Ry, John, Lindsay and Tonia, they were all just precious little children....

You can view it up close and personal HERE!

What I'm doing on this cool autumn day...

Ahhhh, it's that time of year, fall is upon us and I'm trying new recipes. It's currently 56 degrees in Heavensville and it's soup weather..

I got a great cookbook at the library, it's called The Gourmet Slow Cooker and it has some really great recipes in it. Today I'm cooking a bean soup from Greece; great northern beans, chicken stock, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, oregano, tomatoes, baby spinach and I tucked in a lean smoked pork chop instead of a fatty ham hock to season it. The kitchen is smelling really good.

Also making hubby his healthy pumpkin pie - actually, remember that old recipe for impossible pumpkin pie from Bisquick - that's what I'm making, using the Heart Healthy Bisquick, substituting Splenda for the sugar - here's the recipe if you want to check it out - click here - I've made this before and it's really good.

I'm still working on the webcam, maybe I'll get it right one of these days. I'm SO technically challenged...

Oh yum.....

This is totally NOT healthy, but looks TOTALLY awesome. Nah, I'm not making it, but some of you might want to take a walk on the wild side and give it a try. It's Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce.

Check it out here, at Jan Can Cook!