Christmas Cards

Pretty much anyone who is a grandparent expects to get a picture of their grandchildren for one of their Christmas presents. Well last week I was looking for the envelope that contained April's picture cd that I had ordered so that I could print what I needed for relatives and Christmas cards. I finally located the folder, but unfortunately there was no cd in it! When we got the envelope I had opened it and saw the proof of April with the reorder information on it but failed to check the entire contents. So imagine my moment of panic, I mean surprise, when I have no CD and no copyright release to have the pictures printed. I promptly contacted the customer service line with the check number that I wrote, the date it cleared, the package I ordered, etc because I was anticipating having to argue to get a back-up. God must have known I was in no mood because I got the most helpful and pleasant gal on the phone who said they would send me out a new cd and a new copyright release at no charge, they didn't even charge me postage. I still have no idea where the originals went, I only saw one envelope come home from school. Today when I got home from work the replacement cd and copyright release were waiting for me! Now I just need to make out the Christmas cards.

I can't believe Christmas is less than 2 weeks away. I have so much to do yet!! I do have a couple pairs of barrettes made. But still have to finish the other 3 pairs, make a tutu, and crochet a Christmas blanket - all for April. Oh - and I can't forget to make Christmas cookies!

Today's tip: Want a cool idea for Christmas tags? Instead of writing the persons name on them cut out pictures of them from extra pictures you have laying around the house. You know you have tons of pictures that are piled somewhere that you HAD to get doubles of or printed off and then never used. If you scrapbook you can get really creative and use a shape maker to cut the picture out and then put some adhesive on it and stick it to a slightly larger piece of cardstock. Ta da! A personalized tag without having to spend any money!

The Children

Today I received an email from April's teacher that she didn't think April was feeling well because she had dark circles under her eyes (April has the kind of eyes that you just know when you look at her if she feels okay or not. When they get dark underneath she is typically coming down with something.) and she had said she had a sore throat. She said that she emailed me because strep was going around in the event that we needed to take her in. I replied that if she thought April was miserable in class I would come and get her to take her home to rest and told her how much I appreciated that she took a few minutes out of her day to let me know how April was doing. Her teacher replied back and in her email she stated that it's wonderful to work with parents that care so much about their children. At first the way it was worded made me feel proud and I even kind of giggled. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. She was saying that because she had obviously had children whose parents didn't care. And that honestly breaks my heart and makes me want to cry.

Every day we read stories on online or hear news reports of horrible monstrosities happening to children. Each one is more horrible than the next. Parents who beat their children, starve them, abuse them (in any way), or even kill them. WHY???? I don't understand how an innocent child can do something so terrible to warrant any of those behaviors. Withholding love is just as big of a crime as any of the others I mentioned. How can you create a child and then decide that you no longer care? How can you not hold that child in your arms when they are hurt or upset and tell them you love them? Some people should not be parents. Unfortunately it's often those very people who are reproducing like it's a sport of some kind. Instead of giving them up for adoption to a couple that could love them and provide them with a stable home they keep them to get a little more in aid from the government.

While I don't think people should be told how many children they should have I do think that the government should have the right to come in and say "enough is enough". (Yes I do realize I am opening a can of worms right now.) But lets say you have a couple who is unmarried. The woman pretty automatically gets WIC and possibly healthcare provided to her. If you have someone or a couple that is already getting assistance and they continue to create more children and continue to get handouts from the government I think that is abuse. It's abuse of the system and it's abuse to those children who are not able to provide for. I'm not talking about the people who fall onto hard times for a couple years, but people who basically make a career out of this - and you know they exist. You see them in front of you in the grocery line buying all the name brand foods with their EBT card/food stamps that even you can't afford to buy.

Something needs to change with this world. I don't know how to do it or even exactly what to do. I guess all we can do right now is pray that God helps these children to make it through whatever they are suffering and that he helps them to grow up to be better adults than their parents are.

I realize that tonight was full of ranting and I apologize. I just needed to get this off my chest. Thanks for listening/reading.

Delicious Cornbread Muffins

When it gets cold outside there is nothing better than a warm bowl of homemade soup. One of our favorite things to eat with soup with soup are cornbread muffins. I used to just make the cheap box of Jiffy corn muffins, but once I tried this recipe I was sold. No more dry muffins for us!! These muffins are sweet, moist, and stay yummy for a couple days. (Also unlike the boxed muffins!) There are quite a few ingredients, but they really are very easy to make and are ready to eat in about 35 minutes.

Cornbread Muffins
1 cup softened butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup honey
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
3 cups flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups corn kernels (either frozen kernels that are thawed or canned kernels that are drained).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups (or use liners). In a large bowl, mix together butter, sugar, honey, eggs, and salt. Add flour, cornmeal, and baking powder. Stir till blended. Stir in milk and corn kernels. Pour batter into muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes (or till a toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean). Makes approximately 24 muffins.

These muffins are absolutely fabulous. For other super recipes check out the Recipe Swap over at The Grocery Cart Challenge.

I'd exercise more if I wasn't so lazy!

For the second night this week I walked/ran on the treadmill. Tonight I even added 5 pound weights that I carried. I don't know why I put off exercising so much. I always feel amazingly good after I do it. I guess I'm just too lazy to do it most nights and find tons of excuses to get out of it. That is no longer an option. I don't like the way I look, I don't like the way I feel most of the time, and I certainly don't like the way my clothes fit (don't fit is more like it!). I'm not obese, but I am certainly overweight. I know I will probably never get down to the weight I was before I had April and I am fine with that. I would be happy if I lost 15 pounds, if I lost 25 I would be ecstatic. So that my friends is my goal - that would put me at 125 pounds. So if you can do basic math you would now know that I weigh a whopping 150 pounds. While that may not be much for some people, it is if you are only 5'1". So my goal is to lose 20 pounds (we'll say 20 cause that's halfway between my realistic weight and my dream weight) by the end of May. Every week I am going to post my current weight because if I own up to it and have to make it public maybe that will encourage me to continue excercising.

Tomorrow night April has a birthday party to go to for one of her good friends. With any luck Layne and I will be able to do a little Christmas shopping. We have tons of it to do yet.

I finally got a call about my appointment at the University. February 4th is the first appointment they have open. I keep thinking that if my family physician's office would have followed up on the fax they supposedly sent with my medical records on November 12 they could have resent them when they found out they didn't go through and I could have my appointment in January. But I guess for whatever reason this is the way its supposed to be.

Today's tip: Have you ever noticed that when you are looking for a receipt you can never seem to find it? I've been putting my receipts in a clear sandwich size ziploc bag for months now. Some people put them in an envelope, the problem with that is that envelopes can be easily misplaced or lost among a pile of papers. A ziploc bag makes it easy to see the contents. No more opening dozens or envelopes or unzipping several purse pockets looking for a receipt! (It also helps if you put the ziploc bag in the same place all the time!)

Angel Food Ministries & Christmas Gifts

Today I placed my order for the December Angel Food. I ordered the regular box (which includes a beef roast, chicken tenders, chicken breasts, pork chops, hamburger patties, a saulsbury steak meal, hot dogs, frozen carrots, frozen green beans, rice, steak fries, shelf stable milk, a box of mac & cheese, chicken broth, corn muffin mix, a dozen eggs, & a dessert item - which is usually a box of cookies), the #3 box (10 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts), and the #4 box (3 lb red rome apples, 3 lb sweet potatoes, 2 lb bag of onions, 1 sleeve of celery, 1 lb of carrots, 4 lb oranges, 2 lb lemons, 2 grapefruit, 1/2 lb raisins, & 4 lb of new potatoes). The cost for everything was $71. This will be the 3rd month that we've participated. The food so far has been great for the most part. The saulsbury steak meal will probably get tossed or given away - last time we got that it was pretty yucky. Since July about the only meat that we have gotten has been from Angel Food. There are 3 of us in the house and you get enough of each food item for 4 people. Since April doesn't eat much eat at all it lasts us twice as long. The steaks and roasts have honestly been better than the stuff we buy at the store. This program has truly been a God-send for us. And it's so nice to have a program that is not just for the poverty-stricken, and that there are no income requirements for.

Layne and I have been trying for weeks to figure out what to get for the workers that report to him at his job. We were going to pick up mugs and put a packet of cocoa and other goodies inside. Well, we decided not to because we did something similar just a few years ago. Instead we decided to make some "Pamper Me" gift bags. The bags cost $0.75 each, which is the biggest expense for these. But the bags would easily cost you $3 or more at Target. Inside the bag we will put a packet of cocoa ($0.04 each), some chocolate (approximately $0.10 per person), 1 candy cane ($0.10 each), a candle ($0.20 each), a candle holder ($0.50 each), a Christmas CD (CD & Jewel cases were given to us - so free!!!), homemade potpourri (about $0.25 per bag) tied inside some pretty fabric (fabric was free off freecycle). Total cost per bag will be $1.94!!! Not too bad at all. The chocolate was so cheap cause I bought a huge bag of it on sale at Kmart and I had a $1 off coupon that was doubled! After we make the bag up I will make sure to take a picture and post it, along with a picture of all the items in the bag.

Tip of the Day: Click on the following link and get a coupon for a free regular roast beef sandwich from Arby's with the purchase of any menu item.
http://arbys.fbmta.com/members/ViewMailing.aspx?MailingID=27917288257&StoreCode=7097&MemberID=27919504443
Enjoy!! The coupon is printable and there is no limit to the number of times you can print it. Yippee!

I just want to sleep... seriously

My sore throat is a little better. But still not great. Hopefully it isn't the start of something worse. I really can't afford to get sick right now. I'm really looking forward to crawling into bed. Of course Layne thinks the sore throat is just because I was snoring LOUDLY all night. : )

Yesterday I had stopped at the store to pick up some ground beef. I was lucky enough to find some perfectly good produce marked down (lettuce for $0.25 and a couple pounds of grapes for $0.75) so I snagged them up. God must know how broke I am lately and he is taking mercy on me by letting me come across some terrific deals. The only downfall was that the store was one that I don't normally frequent and I swear half the store was on crack. And I'm not kidding. It was the quickest trip into a store I've ever made.

I have to admit that when I am not feeling good I get irritated a bit easier than normal. I swear today every demanded person in the tri-state area called work and I was lucky enough to answer the phone when they did. I hate having days like that. I don't like to be in a bad mood, I try to just let things go if they bother me and most the time am pretty successful, but when I'm in a mood like today everything just seems to compound. Luckily days like that are few and far between.

Tip of the day: Last year around this time I saw a review of a website that was great for ordering cosmetics and was a great value. So I decided to check it out last night and went to www.eyeslipsface.com to check out their selection and see what I could find. They have tons of makeup and bath/body selections that would be great for gift-giving. The best part? A lot of the makeup is only $1!! And right now shipping is $2 for any order of $25 or more. You can also get a one year subscription to W magazine with any order of $20.

Exercise, Money, and Surveys

This morning I woke up with a sore throat. I'm really hoping it gets better as the day goes on. I'm guessing it's because I spent almost 30 minutes on the treadmill yesterday and the sore throat is an allergic reaction to exercise. Just a guess though. : ) I did sleep really good though last night.

I don't know about all of you but I am really having a hard time with Christmas presents this year. I am working with a VERY limited budget but don't think that is it at all. I just truly cannot think of anything to get for anyone. I'm just hoping to get some ideas in the next week so I can get my shopping done.

Lately it has been kind of slow at work. Which I hate because then I spend a good portion of the day thinking of how much I could accomplish if I was home. Of course since my paid time off has been used up it would be unpaid - which is not good when Christmas is coming and I have $1,600 (after insurance) in medical bills that should start showing up any day now!

Todays tip: Looking for a little pocket cash? Check out http://www.myview.com/ you can sign up to take surveys and earn money. You do have to have a paypal account that is tied into your email address. You can earn $1 - 3 typically per survey. After you earn $30 you can request to have the money put into your account. I have earned about $50 in the last several months and am working on a survey now (trying 4 different cans of soups for a national brand) that will pay me $45 after I take surveys on the cans of soup. They even sent me the soup so I didn't have to pay for it. You won't make money quickly, but it is nice just to get that little amount to sit in your Paypal account for online buying! I would like to do a little more of it next year to do my Christmas shopping.