SUPER COOL & GARDEN COMMENTS

Morning all my precious chillins! How are you doing this beautiful last weekend of Spring Break day!? I am absolutely superb LOL! I rest easy knowing that there is only 2 more days until my God-given solace they call SCHOOL! School is SUPER COOL! LMAO! I love my kids, but I love my sanity just as much! And the 2 older ones have been bickering since the DD got home, so it will be a good thing to split them up. Today I want to leave pretty early out and go to the Farmers Market in Houston (hense the early morning post). Its called Canino’s and if you are ever in my area, you should really check it out! I swear if the kids misbehave, I will leave them there for the vendors to do with as they please! LOL! J/K. To my Jeanie in a Bottle… thank you so much for thinking of me with the seeds darling! That is awesome! I will get right to work with them and I’m excited to see what happens! Ya know what I autta do that I think would be SUPER COOL? Maybe post a wish list and even maybe start a seed trading corner. What do you think? I have hand collected Poblano seeds if anyone wants some… but I only have a few packets so if so, email me super quick!!

As you may have noticed, I am giving everyone yet another chance for the garden contest, which is ending in less than 2 weeks. So when I get back from the market today, I hope to see plenty of SUPER COOL garden comments that will make you eligible for the March Gardening Madness Contest! Complete rules are as follows (originally posted from Feb. 26th)

March Gardening Madness Contest

OK kids, I am hosting another contest. In order to promote the upcoming spring and gardens and growing your own foods and such… I am giving away a great prize. In this gift package, you will receive seed packets, hand tools for gardening, a pair of gloves, a book about gardening, a seed starting tray, and a $25 gift card to either Home Depot or Lowe’s so you can buy soils, plant foods, containers, etc.

Now here are the rules… The contest runs from March 1, 2010 until March 31, 2010- one full month. The morning of April 1st I will have my kids pick a winner based on who meets ALL requirements. You must be a registered follower, you must comment on the days I announce a “GARDEN COMMENT”, and you must email me your full name and address so that I can mail your prize if you win. In your comments, you can discuss that day’s blog OR about something you plan to do in your garden this upcoming spring. Share what you plan on planting/growing OR a craft to use in your garden, etc. You can also ask garden related questions.

That’s it… when you think about it, this is an awesome prize really. You can grow your own food, which saves money on your grocery bill, and enjoy a hobby. This prize package could potentially be worth hundreds if not more if your garden flourishes well! I know I would be super stoked about it! Okie dokie, well good luck and I wish you all the best!

Oh I have such great news to share with my minions of readers! I emailed the $5 Dinner mom, Erin Chase, with pics of my garden and a little bit about why I started gardening, my family, etc. Well guess what? She emailed me back today and asked if she could post my photos of my garden in an upcoming issue of HER email newsletter and blog! Can we say- SUPER COOL CRAZY EXCITED!? Oh I am so happy to be asked. It’s an honor! Maybe it will bring more readers our way! She said it will probably be posted sometime in April or Early May… so you know I will be watching for it!



Alright kids, we did it… we have officially planned out our “Purple Planter” for the Spring 2011. I charted out a 5 foot by 3 foot container garden with each square designating one foot of space. With the help of the Burpee catalog, and google pictures LOL, I now have a plan for the upcoming year. So all that will be left is ordering the seeds and sowing them this winter for a patch of purple plentifulness! We hung the diagram on the Family News bulletin board in the main hallway!

Ok, so while on the hunt for more FREE seed offers, I got this absolutely crazy idea! A couple of the offers for free seeds were available only to groups and non-profit org’s and required a small fee. If I had, or we could find someone to donate a plot of land, then the band could start a community garden that they maintain! Perhaps they could take home a few veggies or even donate them to the local food pantry! I think that would be SUPER COOL! So did the DD… we thought about talking to the director about it but haven’t really discussed it. I tend to come up with a lot of crazy ideas that seem like super cool ideas that just pop into my head, but never actually come to fruition… maybe this is just another one of them.

Alright, so after hours of searching, I happened upon a few more free seed offers I wanted to share with you. I will be sending these out (as soon as I get more stamps LOL) and I will let you know what happens with each one. The first one is Free Flower Seed.

Send SASE (Self addressed stamped envelope with 2 stamps) Limit of 1 per address 1 pack of 10 seeds per year.

Free Flower Seed
C/O DataWorkZ.com
P.O. Box 394
Robbinsville, NC 28771

The next I found is Buzzy Seeds. Send in your gardening photos to photo@buzzyseeds.com for free seeds. You can also get free seeds with any purchase on their website - www.buzzyseeds.com.

Then there is “Plant a Row for the Hungry” free seeds offer. I imagine this would be great for people with larger amounts of space. But just in case you are interested, visit Hume Seeds and check it out.

Check out America the Beautiful and see about their FREE seed giveaway. Since 1980 the Operation Green Plant Program has:

-saved more than 800 tons of seeds and 7 million flower bulbs from going to waste in landfills - free plant seeds

-grown 1.75 billion pounds of food for the hungry - free vegetable seeds

-beautified roadways, parks and neighborhoods in 20,000 communities in all 50 states. - free flower seeds

Tomato Heirlooms state that if you sign up for their newsletter, you will receive free seeds. Variety package includes 3 garden size packets: 1 each of Classic Genovese, Dark Purple Opal, and Lemon Basil. You do not get to submit your information on the website, you have to wait for the “Orders” Newsletter subscription email. In that email it gives you the address for seeds… this is what it says:

Thank you for signing up for the Tomato Heirlooms Newsletter!

Please take advantage of our free seeds offer by sending a self addressed self stamped (SASE) envelope to the address below:

Free Seed Offer
4151 Hwy 86
Brawley, CA 92227

You will get a variety package that includes 3 garden size packets: 1 each of Classic Genovese, Dark Purple Opal, and Lemon Basil, a package valued at $7.50!

SandiaTec, Inc. / TomatoHeirlooms.com

Visit Peaceful Valley for another Free WYB offer. They are currently offering 2 free seed packets with any order.

Okie dokie… now each day I give/find you a SUPER COOL craft for the day. And today would be no exception. My Dad is into the whole Nautical thing… and I am into the gardening thing… and I found a SUPER COOL craft that combines them both! A Terra Cotta Lighthouse and you can use either a outdoor solar light or a lantern! I’m SO making one of these for my back patio next paycheck! LOL!



Craft Idea of the Day: Terra Cotta Lighthouse
By Debra from Colorado Springs, CO

Time Required for project:

Drying time of 24 hours for the silicone caulk
Drying time of 4-8 hours for the paint

Materials:

5-6 graduated terra cotta pots
1 solar garden light
1 tube of outdoor clear silicone caulk
2 one quart cans of outdoor paint (Black and white)
1 can of spray varnish or clear plastic coat
Dremel tool with sanding drum mandrel for enlarging hole for garden light only if needed.

Instructions:

You will need to buy or find 5-6 graduated terra cotta pots depending on how tall you want this. With outdoor silicone, glue each pot to the other while each pot is turned up side down. You now have your tower for your lighthouse. With good outdoor paint, Paint your lighthouse. Pictures can be found online for the stripes as each lighthouse is different.

Coat tower with spray varnish or clear plastic coat. Top with a solar garden light. You may need to enlarge the hole on the top pot to be able to put the garden light on. This can be accomplished with a dremel tool with a sanding drum mandrel.

These would be especially pretty lining a drive way. These would also be pretty on a table using smaller terracotta pots that can be found at most craft stores. For the light on top, use a baby food jar with a glow stick that should glow until your party is over.

OK so I know you are sitting there anticipating the next topic… food! Yep, as if you haven’t caught on… everything today is described by my kids, or myself LOL, as SUPER COOL so here is the SUPER COOL recipe for today!



Cordon Bleu Chicken Rolls

Ingredients

8 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
8 slices cooked ham
4 slices Swiss cheese, cut into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup Italian Bread crumbs
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Place each chicken breast half between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet to about 1/8 inch thickness. Place a finger of cheese on each ham slice and sprinkle lightly with thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Roll up seasoned ham and cheese 'jellyroll-style', then roll each chicken breast with ham and cheese inside. Tuck in ends and fasten with toothpicks.

Place melted butter in a small bowl and place bread crumbs in a shallow dish or bowl. Dip each chicken roll in butter or margarine, then roll in crumbs, turning to coat thoroughly. Place coated rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until chicken is golden brown and juices run clear. Serve with cordon bleu sauce, if desired.

To Make Cordon Bleu Sauce: In a small saucepan mix together the soup, sour cream and lemon juice. Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally, and serve hot over chicken rolls. Makes about 2 cups; 8 servings of 1/4 cup each.

So to draw today’s post to a close, I’ve brought you some, what I believe to be, some SUPER COOL ideas. Why? Because I have SUPER COOL readers! The radar still looks nasty for this afternoon, so I’m fixing to get my gang up and moving (funny cause the sun’s not even up yet LOL!) and get on down the road! To Market To Market before the water in the air… LOL! I will see you all tomorrow with more pictures from our exciting adventures! Peace, Love, and lots of HUGS!!!

EGG-CELLENT ADVENTURES

Well an early morning hello to my friends out there on the information super highway! I’ve been up since 2am and I can tell ya… I am one tired pup! I would like to lay back down until I have to pick up the boys this afternoon but I have to go back to the doctor this morning for fasting lab work. It feels so weird without my mini-me… but she’s gonna have a great time and I told her to take lots of pictures for me! So we won’t tell her that I cried myself back to sleep when I got home (for at least an hour) and I frantically watched the Southwest Airlines “Check Flight Status” website all morning! LOL…



I thought this was supposed to get easier and I would WANT them to go away, but it’s not working out like that… someone fibbed to me! LOL. And to make matters worse, when I dropped her off, she wanted me to walk her in, where I got a group hug from like 10 other kids… all calling me mom of course… and all looking to me for those “comforting words” ya know? So I told them I loved them all, to have fun, be safe, stay together, take lots of pictures for me, and I would see them when they got back Monday. I hugged them all and the first AND last one… the most important one… was DD15. I hugged her tight and told her I loved her and would see her soon. I quickly ran out to the car where I proceeded to start balling. So I got that 30 minute power nap before I was up and running again! But not having to get her ready for school triggered another crying session and I haven’t stopped yet. Hopefully it will stop soon.



Ok, let’s get distracted (me basically)… I have had a couple of people ask me about the doctor, so I will just tell you it did not go well. I am now on high blood pressure meds, a new water pill, and they will discuss different diabetes medications and other problems once they get the lab results back. I have to go back for a follow up in 2 weeks. I have gained an excessive amount of weight since July so of course, they harped on that too! I’m not sure what these doctors expect when you have an injury and/or disease that incapacitates you for 9 months… HELLO MD’s… YOU’RE GONNA GAIN WEIGHT YOU MORONS! Ugh, that’s why I hate going to the doctors. They are trained to point out your flaws! And I don’t like acknowledging I have any (even though I KNOW I do) LOL! She said the migraine the past few days is due to the blood pressure. My sugars were also very high, so I have to keep a log of my BP and my sugars for the next 2 weeks until I go back. Fun FUN! NOT!

I ran out to Mom & Dad’s yesterday to borrow a bigger suitcase for the DD and while I was there I grabbed more scrap wood from the garage. I am also gonna be calling Home Depot and Lowe’s today to see if they have any scraps. They are even doing some minor construction on a house behind ours, so I am gonna go over there too and check for scraps! Care to guess what I am gonna do with them? Yep… MORE planters! LOL you can call me crazy if you want, but the project was fun for me and they turn out so cute and really, right now, I need SOMETHING to keep me busy/distracted so why not!?

Alright its time for some more Easter crafts. Today I want to talk about eggs. What would Easter be without the traditional Easter Egg!?

Craft Ideas of the Day: Easter Eggs



Speckled Easter Eggs
by Jane Lake

This method of decorating Easter eggs is very messy - but lots of fun! Just to be sure to wear an apron and spread lots of newspaper around your work surface to catch the flying paint.

Supplies:

hard boiled eggs
egg dye
tempra, watercolor or craft paint or food coloring
old toothbrush

Instructions:

1. If you want to begin with colored eggs, then dye the eggs using commercial egg dye or natural egg dye.

2. Spread newspaper over your work surface. It's also a good idea to protect the front of your clothes with an apron or smock.

3. Dip the toothbrush in a small amount of paint or dye in a contrasting color.

4. Run your finger or thumb over the top of the toothbrush bristles to splatter the eggs with small drops of color.

Variations: You can wash the toothbrush and use a second or third color to make speckled eggs with lots of different colors.



Tie Dyed Easter Eggs

Supplies:

eggs, hard-boiled, boiled in a saucepan of water with 1 tbsp of vinegar added or blown eggs
food coloring in assorted colors
paper towels
plastic wrap
old shirt or apron

Instructions:

This is such an easy way to make tie dyed Easter eggs - and very pretty too.

Boil your eggs or blow the eggs out if you wish to keep them permanently.

To blow out an egg: Poke a small hole in each end of the egg. Use a long needle or skewer to break the yoke. Hold the egg over a bowl and blow hard through one hole until the egg has emptied out of the shell. Rinse with water, let dry, and decorate.

To Tie Die Eggs: Take a paper towel and dampen the towel with water and vinegar, making sure it is just damp.

Place a piece of plastic wrap under the paper towel.

Drip small drops of food coloring onto the paper towel. Allow colors to drop next to each other so they bleed slightly together. Make sure there is enough area with food color to cover egg.

Wrap an egg in the paper towel and the plastic wrap. The longer you keep the egg in the brighter the egg will get.

Repeat until all your eggs are tie dyed. Every one will be different, but all of them will be pretty!



Naturally With Dyes From Your Kitchen
by Debra Lynn Dadd

The most beautiful dyes for Easter eggs come from foodstuff you probably already have in your kitchen.

I have been delighted with the results of the colors I have tried and my friends have been thrilled to receive them as springtime gifts. The colors are very unusual -- gentle, earthy, soft, and very vibrant, without being harsh like the artificial dyes -- and when I tell people the colors come from plant dyes, they always want to know the origin of each color.

To color these eggs, you boil the eggs with the dyestuff, rather than boiling the eggs separately and then dying them.

General directions:

Put raw, white-shelled, organically-raised eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar. Add the natural dyestuff for the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dying at a time, the more dye you will need to use, and the more dye you use, the darker the color will be.)

Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Quickly check the eggs for color by removing them from the dye liquid with a slotted spoon.

If the color is as desired, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.

If you wish a deeper color, strain the hot dye liquid into a container, then rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop them from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain the last of the cold water, then cover the eggs with the strained dye liquid. Add more water if necessary so that the eggs are completely covered. Put into the refrigerator immediately and keep eggs in the refrigerator until the desired shade is achieved. Overnight is good. Longer than about twelve hours some of the colors just get muddier instead of deeper, and the lighter shades are more vibrant.

Try these foods to dye your eggs:

Red - Pink -- lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.

Orange -- Yellow onion skins

Brown -- Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.

Yellow -- Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.

Green -- spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.

Blue -- Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin's-egg blue.

Deep Purple -- Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color

Tips for successful results:
Use filtered or distilled water. Chlorine and other chemicals will work against the dye, making it less intense. Buy distilled water or use your own filtered water.

For deeper colors, use more dyestuff or let the eggs soak longer. For even coverage, cook eggs in a pot large enough to hold enough water and dyestuff to completely cover the eggs, even after some of the liquid has evaporated during the 15 minute of boiling.

Again, for even coverage, if you continue to soak the eggs in the refrigerator after cooking, make sure the eggs are completely covered with the dye liquid. Blot the eggs dry or allow them to air dry, as for some colors the dye will rub off while still wet. On the other hand, if you wish to make a white pattern on the egg, you can rub off some of the dye for some colors immediately after cooking.

Make sure eggs of different colors are completely dry before piling them up in a bowl together, as wet dye from one egg can transfer to another.

About the Author: Hailed as "The Queen of Green" by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website at http://www.dld123.com for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email newsletters.



Easter Egg Wreath

For thousands of years, the egg has been a symbol of new life — and spring — for people the world over. Craft the time-honored symbol into a wreath for your door, and you've got the perfect way to welcome spring into your home.
Materials
14 plastic pull-apart eggs
Puffy paint
Egg cartons
2 large heavy-duty paper plates
Scissors
Glue
Green craft foam
Twist ties
Instructions

First, decorate 14 plastic pull-apart eggs with puffy paint and let them dry. (Overturned egg cartons make great workstations and drying racks; just set each egg half over a carton cup bottom.)

Cut the rims from the paper plates and glue them together. Glue green craft foam leaves around the ring, leaving 1 1/2 inches between them.

To attach the eggs, tightly wrap twist ties (one for each egg) between the leaves around the paper plate ring, then simply close the egg halves together over the ties.

You can also decorate eggs by dying them the color you want and allowing them to dry. Then with craft glue, cover the egg in crystal beads (used in jewelry making). You will have a precious jeweled egg. Or perhaps you can decoupage some cute clippings from magazines, etc. The possibilities are endless. The point is to make them unique!

Ok, time to eat. Well tonight I think I will be making Chili Rellenos for the guys. You and I, however, will feast our eyes (and if you are ambitious, our palates) on this yummy dessert!



Brownie Caramel Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 (9 ounce) package brownie mix
1 egg
1 tablespoon cold water
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup chocolate fudge topping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

In a small bowl, mix together brownie mix, 1 egg and water. Spread into the greased pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Melt the caramels with the evaporated milk over low heat in a heavy saucepan. Stir often, and heat until mixture has a smooth consistency. Reserve 1/3 cup of this caramel mixture, and pour the remainder over the warm, baked brownie crust.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Pour cream cheese mixture over caramel mixture.

Bake cheesecake for 50 minutes. Chill in pan. When cake is thoroughly chilled, loosen by running a knife around the edge, and then remove the rim of the pan. Heat reserved caramel mixture, and spoon over cheesecake. Drizzle with the chocolate topping.

Ok peeps (oh those sound good right now LOL!) its time for me to get off of here and head down to the doctors so the vampires can attack me. Hopefully that won’t take too long, that way I can come back and catch a nap! Make sure you always tell the ones you care about how you feel so they always know! It will make them feel important and brighten their day! I will see you all tomorrow. Peace, Love, and LOTS of HUGS!

PAW PRINTS

Hi there everybody… I missed you all yesterday. What happened? Ya missed the first comment day! Oh well, we’ll try again soon. I hope you are doing well. Me… not so much but its ok… Just the norm with the knees and whatnot. I have a few errands to run this morning but nothing major. Gonna try to keep it low key today so that I don’t hurt myself too badly.



Yesterday I put most of the dirt in the planter and began putting my plants in the box too. The kitties have decided they like to play in there and they killed one of my bell pepper plants already. There were little paw prints everywhere!! I am NOT happy with them… might have to invest in a small little fence to keep them out! Anyway, I am very proud of how it turned out! I think it looks great and I can’t wait to fill it in with plants and then watch it explode!



Then this morning when I was making me a jalapeno breakfast wrap, I was looking in the window sill at all the seed pots I have been trying to start. Normally I don’t have any luck with seeds, and seeing no sprouts has had me somewhat discouraged… at least until this morning!! The seeds for the sweet pea plants I started have began to sprout!!!! YAY!!!!!! I am so excited!! Now if I could just get my Giant Pumpkin seeds to sprout, I would be one happy woman! LOL… yes I said GIANT pumpkin! These seeds are supposed to produce pumpkins that get to a minimum of 400-500 pounds! LOL I just wanna see if I can get 1 to grow but if all 6 work… OMG that’s a lot of pumpkin LMAO! Could you see my landlord’s face if I was growing a 500 pound pumpkin? LMAO! Shoot, I’d need a picture of that!



I went to visit with my mom last night and we were looking through the Burpee catalog trying to get some ideas of what all I want to put in my planter. My mom is always full of such good ideas. So far in my planter (and answering Vincent’s question as well) I have 2 Roma tomatoes, 2 Husky Cherry tomatoes, 6 Black Beauty eggplant, 4 Sweet banana pepper, 9 broccoli, 2 yellow bell pepper, 2 red bell pepper, and 3 green bell pepper (have to get a new one courtesy of the cats!). I also have separate containers of Italian Flat parsley, cilantro, habanero peppers, cayenne peppers, strawberries, and rosemary. I am hoping to add brussel sprouts, more tomatoes, peas, jalapenos, cantaloupes, watermelons, pumpkins, okra, carrots, and some other neat stuff to my garden. I am having so much fun with this… its crazy! I want to grow everything! LOL… just to see if I can! I’m even gonna try CORN! Yes… container grown CORN! If it works, I am gonna LMAO!

Spring Break is coming soon… so is the Band trip to Florida. The DD15 will be gone from the 11th to the 15th. Her plane is leaving at 6:20am on Thursday… I’m real nervous for her! Man, I am gonna feel so lost! And then Spring Break is the whole week of the 14th (not next week but the one following). So I’m trying to brainstorm some things we can do that’s fun and easy on the wallet at the same time. If you have suggestions, I would LOVE to hear them!

Ok, well as for me, tonight and this weekend is gonna be another freezer cooking marathon as it looks pretty bare in there. I will be firing up the crocks and making soups and such, as well as making some homemade TV dinners too. I also have to make some breakfast stuff for the kids. Here is a soup recipe I’ll be making this weekend that I wanted to share with you for your collection… its hearty and healthy and I think you’ll enjoy it!



Gypsy Soup

Ingredients

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon tamari
1 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

Directions

Heat olive oil in a stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute onion, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes, or until onion is soft. Season with paprika, turmeric, basil, salt, cinnamon, cayenne, and bay leaf. Stir to blend, then stir in chicken stock and tamari. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans and green pepper to the soup, and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are tender. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Ok kids, I think I am going to grab a glass of OJ and go sit on the patio with all my awesomeness and enjoy the morning sounds of birds and nature. I’ll talk to you tomorrow… HUGS!

QUITE THE LITTLE CARPENTER

Howdy doody darlings! How are you doing this beautifully bright morning? I am really sore and I swore I was gonna take things kinda slow today… but its not looking like that’s gonna happen LOL! I was helping my parents clean out there attic in the garage yesterday because they offered for me to store my huge holiday decorations in there to help eliminate the storage unit. We saw/found some crazy things up there! We got a HUGE chunk of the attic cleared before we had to stop. I got a slight injury but not from the work, so I am gonna try to take today to kind of relax before getting back in the hyper let’s clean mode! LOL… am I driving you nuts yet Dad? LOL… It’s ok, because they have person business to tend to today.



Ok, so after I got home yesterday and took some medicine, I worked on my planter. I sat on the floor and put the pieces together with my trusty drill and box of wood deck screws!. I think its gonna be so cute when I am done. I sent a picture to my dad and his reply ended up being my title for today! He said I am turning into “quite the little carpenter” LOL… I thought that would be a great title. I joked with him that he is not allowed to come over and point out all the imperfections LMAO! I love you dad! I'm so happy I can attribute my anal retentiveness to someone better than me! LMAO... omg J/K but you gotta admit- THAT'S HILARIOUS!



I went to the store already this morning to get some stain for the outside of my planter. It’s nice and sunny outside today so it was perfect to apply the stain and get it to dry! Then all will be left is to staple the liner on the inside and load it up baby! WOOHOO! I’m gonna have some happy plants soon!! I love the color of the stain… it makes the box look so nice (I think)!



OMGoodness… I was so happy this morning. I woke up to start getting the kids ready for school and as I go into the kitchen guess what I saw? BIRDS! I saw pretty male AND female cardinals at my window eating the bird seed I have out for them! I managed to snap this picture and if you click and enlarge it, look on the bottom right corner and you can see one of the male’s bright red head’s outside the window! I love it! With all the early signs of nature so far, I am hoping for a beautiful spring!



OK everybody… I want to get a little serious and a little personal for a moment. I want to talk about something that hits close to home for me and many of people in the world today. Hoarding. Defined by the Mayo Clinic, “Hoarding is the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Some people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds of pets in unsanitary conditions. It's not clear what causes hoarding. Some researchers believe that hoarding occurs on a continuum — some people may simply be considered harmless pack rats, while others have a much more severe form of collecting that is life-threatening. The condition is more likely to affect those with a family history of hoarding, so genetics and upbringing are likely among the triggering factors. Hoarding is currently considered a subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but this classification is under debate. Many mental health researchers argue that, while some people with OCD have hoarding behavior, hoarding is not specific to OCD. In fact, one study found that hoarding was no more likely to be associated with OCD than with other anxiety disorders. Hoarding can affect anyone, regardless of age, sex or economic status. It's not clear how common hoarding is, though. That's partly because researchers have only recently begun to study it and partly because some people never seek treatment.

Here are some risk factors and features about hoarding that researchers have come to understand:
-Age. Hoarding usually starts in early adolescence, around age 12, and it tends to get worse with age.
-Family history. People are more likely to hoard if they have close family members who engage in compulsive hoarding.
-Stressful life events. Some people develop hoarding after experiencing a stressful life event that they had difficulty coping with, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, eviction or losing possessions in a fire.
-Social isolation. People who hoard are typically socially withdrawn and isolated. In many cases, the hoarding leads to social isolation. But, on the other hand, some people may turn to the comfort of hoarding because they're lonely.
-Perfectionism. People who compulsively hoard are often perfectionists. They worry about making the right decision about what to do with each possession — should they keep it or discard it? Trying to decide causes distress, so they avoid making a decision and simply keep everything.

Hoarding can cause a variety of complications, including: Unsanitary conditions that pose a risk to health, An inability to perform daily tasks, such as bathing or cooking, Poor work performance, Loneliness and social isolation, or a fire hazard.” I bring this all up because my mom calls herself and ME as well packrats. Yes I have a lot of junk… and OCD unfortunately… I don’t want to put the health and safety of my children or myself on the line because of material stuff. This is why decluttering, cleaning out storage, etc. is so vital to me this year. And if you have a problem out there, please don’t be embarrassed to seek help! I want happy healthy readers who are going to stick around for a LONG time!



Ok, enough seriousness… let’s talk FOOD! YUMMY! Dinner last night was absolutely divine! I made the fajita kit for the DS18 because he doesn’t care for seafood. As a good cook, I of course had to sample one LOL! It was good… of course… but never as good as homemade LOL!



My daughter and I ate the delicious snow crab I picked up as a gift/treat to her. Isn’t that a lovely sight? OMG it was very good… but they were young crabs for sure. My daughter was in hog heaven LOL! She thanked me and then said I was the "Most Awesome mom and I spoil her too much". She's probably right on both parts LOL! And sticking with the idea of seafood, because I love it so… here is your recipe for today!



Japanese Style Deep Fried Shrimp

Ingredients

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled (tails left on) and deveined
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko crumbs
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Place the shrimp in a bowl and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and paprika. Place eggs and panko crumbs into separate bowls.

Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Dip each shrimp into the flour mixture, then into the egg, and finally into the panko crumbs to coat. Fry a few at a time until golden brown. This should take no longer than 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels before serving.

Alright everybody… that’s all for today! Hopefully by tomorrow I will have the planter lined and positioned and ready to fill so the plants can be happily homed! I’m gonna go clillax for awhile. Ya’ll take care and I’ll see ya tomorrow! HUGS!