Your Girl Scout Cookie Hookup

It's Girl Scout Cookie Time! 

Well, it's almost Girl Scout Cookie Time.  For our area, the big day appears to be January 1st!  There is no better time to find your cookie hookup!  But, wait, it gets better!  There's a Cookie Finder App!  How cool is that?  Just search for Cookie Finder and look for the Girl Scout logo.  Bonus:  it's free!

Having my very own little Girl Scout this year means I won't have to stalk Walmart for the cookie tables!  I am very happy about that!

So, let's get down to business:  what's your favorite cookie?  Hands down, I'm a Tagalong fan.  I tried those Thin Mints just to see what the big deal was and I just didn't like them.  But, I did see this Thanks-A-Lot cookie on the app and have to say that it sounds pretty yummy.  I'll have to pick up a box of those this year, too.  But, the tried and true Tagalong will always top my cookie list!

My cousin Katie, sent me this link and I was super happy to see that you can subscribe by email.  Which I did, because, I mean, I need another email subscription!

I wanted to link up to a "how to freeze Girl Scout Cookies" article from the web, but I didn't really find anything other than simply throw the unopened box in the freezer.  Easy-peasey!

Dalton's Card Count Update

I've been following Dalton's mom on Facebook and I am happy to see that as of about 5 pm, Friday 12/28, the Christmas Card total is 711,597!  That is awesome!  Totally awesome! 

If you would like to send a card, here's the address:

Dalton Dingus
HC 62 Box 1249
Salyersville, KY 41465

Ugliest Chirstmas Sweater Contest

I had never heard of the Ugly Christmas Sweater contest until a few years ago and I've got to say that I am strangely intrigued by this.  I don't really know why, but I am.

If you're interested, here's a Facebook contest where you can vote for your favorite ugly Christmas Sweater!  You have to "like" First Kentucky Bank's Facebook page before you can vote on the individual picture.  There are only eight photos, so you've got time to click over and vote for your favorite!  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas 2012

 

 

May your days be merry and bright!

Happy Holidays!

Prayer, Guns, & Mental Disorders

This post has been moved.
It can now be now be viewed on my blog Take It or Leave It.

Conquering the Rum Cake

Oh, it was so rewarding to finally get the Rum Cake just right!  Whoo Hoo, I was a happy camper last night.  And, as promised on Facebook, I'm here to share the recipe with you!

First, a little back ground story.  See that paper in the picture?  That's the recipe written down by Gail, my mother-in-Law, years and years ago.  I don't know how I came to have that notebook of her recipes, but I am honored to have it.  The Rum Cake recipe is the very first recipe in her little notebook.  She used to make this cake for Casey's birthday every year so I never tried it until after she passed away.  And for the last six or so years I have been unable to attain the glory that was her Rum Cake!

I joked last night that all these years she's been watching from Heaven and having a good laugh as I miss her mark year after year.  Well, I have been following her directions to a T, so I couldn't figure out what the catch was.  I even looked up recipes on the Internet last year for comparison.  All the recipes I looked at were pretty much the same as the original recipe.  See, the problem with this cake is that everyone kept telling me I had too much rum in it.  Well, I followed Gail's directions.  How could my cake be turning out any different than hers?

After much debate, I decided to tweak the recipe a little this year.  Instead of waiting until the end to add rum to the glaze mixture, I added the rum and water at the same time and boiled it all for five minutes.  Let me just tell you that was the trick to getting this cake just right!  So, here's my slightly adapted version of Gail's Rum Cake.  Enjoy!

Bacardi Rum Cake
1 pkg Yellow Cake Mix
1 pkg Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix (I used the small box)
4 eggs (I think I only put in three, whoopsie!  The batter was a little thick, come to think of it!)
1/2 c Chopped Pecans

Mix cake as directed on package (my cake mix only called for three eggs, so maybe I was okay).
Put chopped pecans in the bottom of bunt cake pan.
Pour cake mix over pecans and bake (I baked at 350 for 45 minutes).

Rum Glaze
1 stick Butter
1/4 c Water
1 c Sugar
1/2 c Rum

Melt butter in saucepan, stir in water and sugar.
(Stir in rum here if you want the buzz-free version of the cake.  Trust me, it's now or never!)
Boil 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in rum (only if you want the buzz-inducing version, Designated Drivers recommended!).
Drizzle over cake.

And there you have it!  If you make a rum cake of your very own, please come back and leave a comment letting me know how it turned out!

Written on Friday, December 21, 2012.  Posted on Saturday, December 22, 2012.

Happy Birthday, Mo!

Oh, they grow up way to fast, don't they?

It seems like just a few weeks ago this little lady became a teenager, and today she's turning 14!

Oh bless my soul, I feel old!

 

Happy Birthday, Morgan.

It's gotta be pretty great to have your birthday on the first day of winter break!

Gifts for Teachers

You could probably find a million ideas on google for good or bad Teacher gifts.  I didn't have time for that.  Now, I don't like to think of myself as a cheap skate, but I definitely don't want to sink a large amount of money into a gift giving project. 

Finding the right package is the first step when planning your gift to give to all the wonderful folks at your child's school.  Most little tins or plastic bowls will cost you in the neighborhood of a dollar per person.  You could opt for the plastic treat bag instead.  But, I prefer those styrofoam coffee cups from the good ol' Dollar Tree.  These babies come in a pack of 6 for a buck and they are heavy duty so they hold up well and the lid stays on nicely, even in the hands of a Kindergartener. 

The next step in keeping your cost low but the sentiment high, is to decide what to put inside each cup.  I filled each cup with a packet of hot cocoa and a handful of hard candies I picked up at the Dollar Tree as well.  I chose hard candy because most people enjoy it and it was inexpensive.  I specifically picked the bags with the biggest quanity for my dollar.  Think butterscotch and peppermint and cinnamon discs.  Werthers are very festive, too.

For a little over fifty-cents per cup, Patty was able to hand out 24 little goodies to teachers and faculty this morning.  And let me tell you, she looked like a professional gift giver!  It was so adorable. 

Oh, and I used my Photoshop program to create the little circle on top of each cup.  It has a little Santa and reads, "Oh by golly have a holly jolly Christmas this year".  A line from my favorite Christmas song, I might add!  There is nothing handier than digital scrapbooking.  I placed two circles into a blank 4x6 .jpeg and printed them at Walgreens.  Plus, I got 33% off my order yesterday!

That picture on the bottom right is the classroom gift.  It's full of things like Lysol wipes, baggies, crayons, and pencil top erasers.  I grabbed one of the holiday basket bags and a red charger plate (both at the Dollar Tree) and tried to make a pyramid of goodness.  I gotta say that charger plate really gave the gift stability.  And who knows, maybe the class can use the plate in an activity or re-gift it!

Either way, Patty had a blast handing out those cups today and I know the class will be able to use all of the goodies in their giant goody bag when school begins again in January! 

Update: Ug, I found two terrible typos in this post!  Eeek.  But, it's all fixed now!

Happy Birthday, Casey!

I'm not much on posting those sappy "i love you" sentiments on places like facebook or the blog.  But, today is Casey's birthday so I'm making an exception.

Babe, I love you.

Happy Birthday!

Love, me

 

 

In past years, I've attempted to bake a Rum Cake for his birthday but just haven't quite mastered it.  I've never tasted it, but everyone else tells me the rum is too strong.  I'm following my mother-in-laws recipe so I don't know what I'm missing.  Any suggestions?  Maybe it's just one of those things you have to do over and over until you get it just right?  Either way, I'll be making another attempt this year!

The Tree is Up, Finally!

Finally!  Our Christmas tree is up and decorated!  I know a lot of folks put the tree up right after Thanksgiving, but I think we might make a new tradition for ourselves and put the tree up just a couple weeks before the big day.

These are cell phone pics of Patty putting a few ornaments back on the tree after one of the kitties playfully knocked them off the tree while we slept.

We handed over the non-breakable ornaments to the kids this year and they had so much fun decorating!  When you have little kids, it doesn't pay to be a perfectionist!

Happy Holidays!

Tomorrow is the Last Day to Mail Your Letter to Santa!

Don't forget, if you want to receive a response from Santa, you have to get your letter in the mail by December 21st!  That's tomorrow! 

Santa Claus
PO Box 1
Santa Claus, IN 47579

Hooray! A DIY School Memories Book

I have been eyeing those cute little school memories books for the past three years but I never wanted to spend money on something I thought I could make for free.  Let's just say I haven't gotten around to making them for free myself.  It's on my mental to-do list, I guess.

Well, I opened an email this morning to see these School Memories pages created by Confessions of a Homeschooler!  Seriously, I am very happy right now. 

I've already saved them to my computer and it's the perfect motivation to get all of my scrapbooking caught up (that's going to be one of my 2013 resolutions!).

Do you have a memories book from your childhood?  I did, but I think it got lost sometime over the years.  But, I remember looking at it and just being amazed.  I hope Patty and JT like their books as much as I did!

How Do You Do Your Christmas Cards?

I love Christmas Cards!
I love sending them.
I love receiving them.
I love everything about them.

Except the price.

Thankfully, I am a self-taught Photoshop user and this little hobby of mine saves me big bucks each time I need to send out any type of photo greeting card.

Actually, doing it myself makes it better than a 2 for 1 deal. Yay me!  I'll be sharing our Christmas Card on the 25th, stay tuned!

But, for now, here's my cousin Korrie and her family. 
Did you notice her cute little baby bump?

There Really is a Tooth Necklace!

A couple weeks ago Patty lost a tooth at school. 

I was super excited to learn her school has a tooth necklace just like the one in the Fancy Nancy book we have at home!

I know, I'm easily amused.

But, seriously, how cool is that?

I got a little nervous and worried when we read the book and she asked if her school had a tooth necklace.

Boy am I glad those little necklaces are for real!

Toys R Us Disappointment

I was so happy to get this email notification from Toys R Us that the Doc McStuffins toy was available again! 

My happiness was quickly followed by disappointment as I realized it was not in stock for ordering and there was no way to check store availability.

Really Toys R Us? 

Really?

Update: As I flipped through the pages of the Kmart sale ad on Sunday I spotted the very same doctor kit!  I got online as fast as I could and was able to use the store locator to find and order this for store pick up!  Hooray!  Oh, and it was only $19.99 at Kmart.  Take that Toys R Us!

Send a Christmas Card to Dalton

Want to be part of a Guiness World Record?  And help a little boy's wish come true?

It's pretty easy.  All you need to do is add Dalton Dingus to your Christmas Card list.

Dalton is a nine year old from Salyersville, Kentucky and he has the wish to set the world record for Christmas Cards received. 
That's a pretty awesome wish. 
Read his story reported by ABC News.

I sincerely hope anyone reading this will send a card out to him soon.  This is going to be the very first card I send out this year!

Dalton Dingus
HC 62 Box 1249
Salyersville, KY 41465

Update:  I contacted Dalton's mom on Facebook to get a card total and as of Sunday evening, the total is over 110,000.  Hooray!  If you are planning to get a bunch of cards together, she says counting them in advance is helpful.  My plan is to put cards into gallon sized baggies with a total written on the outside. 

Better Security For Our Children

My heart broke this afternoon as I read about the school shooting in Connecticut.  I can not imagine what that community is going through right now.  And I hope I never have to find out.

Patty is in kindergarten, has twelve years of public school ahead of her, and I really don't want to spend those years fearing for her safety.  And that's not even mentioning that next year JT will begin school, too.  Boy, does homeschooling sound appealing right now.

I just have to ask, how many more school shootings have to occur before schools implement adequate security to protect our kids?  It's painfully obvious that the procedures adopted in the years following Columbine are not effective.  Having a door bell at the front entrance is not enough. 

But, then we have to ask ourselves, how much security is enough? 

Do we need armed security in our school buildings?  Armed faculty?  Frankly, the idea of an armed guard in my child's elementary school terrifies me.  But, I wouldn't cross it off the possibilities list.

Metal detectors?  Yes, please.  At each and every doorway.

As I write this I can't help but wonder where are all of the security companies in all of this?  We have a desperate situation so where's the guy saying, your school security is fallible and needs major improvements.  Where's the plan to make our schools safe? 

Do me a favor, on your next visit to your child's school, count how many doors there are leading to the outside .  For the heck of it, check to see if those outside doors are locked.  Count the security cameras, too.  Locked doors and security cameras will not keep your child safe if an armed gunman makes his way into the school and opens fire. 

Our schools are not safe.  And I think it's way past time for someone to do something about it. 

It's time to lock up our schools tighter than Fort Knox.  Our children are more precious than any amount of money.  Let's see our schools implement security similar to the banking industry.  Have you ever worked in a bank?  Banks are pretty serious about keeping their money safe.  Let's see schools treat our children in the same way.  There have to be better security plans that can be implemented.

Written On: Friday, December 14, 2012

Kids Say...

I try not to say "Santa's watching you" in order to get the kids to behave.  It just sounds creepy, you know?  But, something along those lines that has proven to be a very effective behavior tool is the threat to call Santa on the phone and give him a naughty report.

So, imagine my surprise when Patty actually tried to call Santa to tell him that JT had made a watery mess on the bathroom floor!  Casey told her Santa's number was 1234567 and she promptly grabbed my phone and dialed it!  Thankfully, it just gave her the "call can not be completed" message.  But, it sure did make me giggle!

Misleading Headlines

I have this thing against misleading headlines.  But, in this case, I'm glad the author was able to get my attention. 

I mean, who would have thought that science would be making something like this possible?  I was a little concerned for this cute little girl until I read there is no HIV virus remaining in the treatment and that she won't contract HIV from it.

I hope this proves to be a safe and effective treatment in the battle against childhood cancer.  As a parent, I can't imagine anything more horrible than a cancer diagnosis for your child.

Kids Say...

The other day JT and I had a conversation about his marbles.  It went a little something like this.

"Why don't you just pick up your marbles?" mom asked.

After a deep breath and dramatic pause, JT replied, "Well, it's hard work.  It makes my hands tired."

Here's a picture of the remaining marbles in our house.  We've bought bag after bag.  I have no clue where all the other marbles are hiding.  I'm sure they'll turn up in some really strange location some day!

New, Uber Colorful Front Door

There's a website called Favorite Paint Colors and I am in love with it.  It's perfect for someone like me who can not visualize what a room is going to look like when starring at that tiny little paint swatch.  So, when I saw this front door, I knew I'd found the perfect color for my own front door.  Or, so I thought.  I was a little confused when I got to the store and saw the swatch up close and personal.  That door doesn't look anything like that paint swatch.  I was confused.  And, as per usual, my phone would not connect to the Internet so I could pull up the picture for reference.  Note to self, I learned this from my cousin Amy.  Take a picture of the web page on your phone, like a screen shot.  Comment if you need directions on how to do this.  I learned it from my kids. 
What can I say, they are talented.

Now, here's something you probably don't know about me.  I should never be allowed into a paint store without a chaperon.  And, no, JT doesn't qualify as a chaperon.  See that picture on the left?  That's what happens when I am left alone to my own devices in the paint store.  It's pretty amazing how my mental picture was so way off the actual color of that inspiration door!  The good news is that I don't totally dislike my new Cruising blue front door.  In fact, I am hoping that it looks really good with the new wreath Amy has made for me!  Fingers crossed, really tight!

Go Elf Yourself!

I got intrduced to somethg really neat and funny a couple weeks ago: JibJab and Elf Yourself. 
Here's a little funny to start your day!  Patty and JT as elves!  I had trouble using the website so I downloaded the app to my phone and didn't have any more problems!  Hope this video link works!  The kids both loved watching these cute elves!

Do Your Flu Research

Patty and JT caught the flu a couple years ago.
It was January.
Casey was in Afghanistan.
Fortunately, the flu itself wasn't too bad.

But, Patty ended up with a gnarly ear infection and the Tamiflu caused JT to throw up repeatedly.

After the vomiting began, I sat down at the computer and tried to determine how bad a mother I'd be if I just didn't give my kids the Tamiflu.

And you know what? I realized we'd never fill another prescription for it.

Because Knowledge is a Powerful Thing

After connecting with a couple other families dealing with developmental delay, I realized another thing we have in common is the feeling that we aren't doing enough to help our kids.  It really is comforting to know that there are people you can relate to.   

So, what can we do to help our children with developmental delays?  We can gain knowledge.

A Recall for this, Really?

I wrote about recalls back in August.  My favorite part is why an item is being recalled.

Take this coffee mug for example.  It's recalled because the little silver embellishment there causes a spark in the microwave. 

Now, I am all for recalling things that are hazardous to consumers.  But, recalling things because people are stupid enough to put metal in their microwave; well, I guess I just have to draw a line somewhere. 

So, just in case no one ever told you, DO NOT put metal of any kind in your microwave.  It will spark and possibly cause a fire!  In case you're wondering, this rule applies to fast food wrappers that have foil, like Arby's.  Yes, I speak from personal experience.

I will say that if the mug had a note on the bottom stating "microwave safe" it was a valid recall.  Otherwise, you just can't help folks who put those cups in their microwaves.

Mail Your Letter to Santa

Today is December first, and that means there are only 24 more days until Christmas!  Have you written your letter to Santa yet?