TO BLOG OR NOT TO BLOG

Hi there everyone. I am so sorry I have been M.I.A. for the last couple of days. I am going through some very rough times in my personal life and have not been the best company to visit with. So I took a couple of days away to regroup, collect my thoughts, and gain my composure. I'm praying that starting today, things will be easier and improve each day there after. SO, it seems that I owe you alot of info, huh? Well never fear, the next couple of posts should have as much stuffing as your Christmas turkey! LOL!

First I want to bring you this article I saved that I saw on Yahoo. Its about reminding women to breathe in stressful or painful, etc. situations. More than ever I have to keep reminded of this right now in my life and I thought for those others who may be out there, this might help you too! Being reminded to breathe is good for your body, have you ever just taken a deep breath (I mean a full and purposefull breathe?). While meditating, breathing is something of a distractor. It allows the mind to relax so people can sleep better and not have as much anxiety. Also Oxygen is a natural drug, when you take a few full deep breaths your brain is almost experencing a natural "high". EMT's say that sometimes for those people that were having anxiety attacks or what they thought was something worse... a little oxygen saved the day. So no matter what we are going through in life, remember to stop for a moment and just BREATHE!

Remind me: why do women need to be reminded to breathe?
by Piper Weiss

There are at least four songs by female pop singers with the title Breathe. Yoga studios across the country bear the name. An entire network for women is devoted to Oxygen and Bliss Spa has created a signature oxygen treatment. Meanwhile, Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus have "Breathe" tattoos. Now Drew Barrymore is the latest to imprint the reminder on her body. Is breathing something we're chronically forgetting to do? If so, I'd like to recommend a portable oxygen tank.

Not that kind of breathing silly! In the world of wellness, breathing is a luxury. You pay $20 bucks to have someone tell you to just focus on your breathing. (Also to remind you to thank yourself for showing up.) The age old practice of meditation gets choked in translation to take the form of a congratulatory reminder that you're already doing something. That thing being the bare minimum to stay alive. You're breathing. Isn't that great?

Shouldn't our self-expectations be a little higher? We are owning the job market, we're bearing children in our 40's and 50's. Back up. We're bearing children. I'm pretty sure the breathing thing under control by comparison.

In Lamaze, breathing techniques are supposed to refocus your attention from the unbearable pain of a human detaching from your organs. So what are Drew or Miley doing that is so painful it requires a ink-stained Lamaze coach at the ready?

The self-help industry has made a killing on the idea of "women who do too much." The common complaint being: "I don't take enough time for myself." And that's true of a lot of women who juggle work, family and relationships. We're nurturers and all that, but we're also highly capable creatures. Multi-tasking is in our DNA. There has never been a time when women haven't been expected to be responsible for keeping alive multiple humans at a time. It's what we do. We also breathe if we're lucky.

The implication is that we're dysfunctional. And like the word "relax" the more you're instructed to do it, the less you're able to. It fosters anxiety and coddles the panic. If anything, I'd rather it be one less thing to think about it. If I'm not aware of it, my body is working fine. The things we've got down, shouldn't be dwelled on. Things like confidence, organization, anger-management wouldn't be bad reminders. Personally, I could use the tattoo "shower". But breathe? I can do that in my sleep.

Not so for Taylor Swift song, who's song Breathe speaks directly to a guy who needs to give her CPR every minute. "I can't breathe with out you," she sings. That right there may be why he left. Talk about pressure. So no wonder we're given applause when we do it on our own. We've really turned a corner with our expectations of what makes an independent woman.

Then there's Michelle Branch (who performed her song Breathe at the Oxygen festival, above. ha). "When life's like an hourglass stuck to a table, just breathe," she advises. I would suggest leaving the Salvador Dali museum, drinking lots of water and never ever letting someone talk you into dropping acid at that high-art funhouse again.

(Just a corrective note- Piper, you're confusing Anna Nalick and Michelle Branch! Anna Nalick's song is "Breathe (2 AM)", which has the lyrics "And life's like an hourglass glued to the table." The Michelle Branch song you linked to is a completely different song, also entitled "Breathe". You might want to fix that last paragraph!)

And my apologies, but it seems the box office was closed for renovations the last couple of days for MEMORABLE MOVIES week. But fear not, the remodeling is done and tickets are now available! So I am gonna bring you some movies that maybe had 1 or 2 memorable foods that really stick in my mind and I thought would be fun to feature. Whether or not you make them is a whole other story LOL!



Fried Green Tomatoes

(Synopsis: 1991 comedy-drama film based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg. It was released in the UK under the novel's full title. Directed by Jon Avnet and written by Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski, it stars Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary-Louise Parker and Mary Stuart Masterson. It tells the story of a Depression-era friendship between two women, Ruth and Idgie, and a 1980s friendship between Evelyn, a middle aged housewife and Ninny, an elderly woman who knew Ruth and Idgie. The centerpiece and parallel story concerns the murder of Ruth's abusive husband and the accusations that follow.)



Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
5 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup butter

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt and pepper. Place the crushed saltine crackers in another bowl, and the beaten eggs in a third bowl.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Dip each tomato slice in the egg to coat, then in the flour mixture. Dip the floured tomato slice back into the egg, and then into the cracker crumbs. Place the coated tomato slices in the hot skillet, and fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Add more butter to the pan, if necessary. Serve hot!



Armadillo Grooms Cake from Steel Magnolias

(Synopsis: 1989 American comedy-drama film about the bond among a group of women in northwest Louisiana. The movie is based on a 1987 off-Broadway play by Robert Harling, which in turn dealt with the playwright's experience with the death of his sister. The title suggests the female characters are as delicate as magnolias but as tough as steel. The action centers on Truvy's beauty parlor and some women who regularly gather there. The film begins on the morning of Shelby's wedding to Jackson and covers events over the next three years, including Shelby's decision to have a child despite having Type 1 diabetes and the complications that result from the decision. We also get a glimpse of the unlikely friendship between Clairee and Ouiser; Annelle's transformation from a shy, anxious newcomer in town to a good-time girl and then to a revival-tent Christian; and Truvy's relationships with the men in her family. Although the main storyline involves Shelby, her mother and Shelby's medical battles, the underlying group-friendship among all six women is prominent throughout the drama.)The comedy-drama takes place in Louisiana and stars an incredible cast including Dolly Parton, Sally Field, Daryl Hannah, and Julia Roberts, among others. It explores the bonds of women, and the armadillo grooms cake debuts. The armadillo cake is made for the wedding of Jackson (played by Dylan McDermott) and Shelby (played by Julia Roberts) by Jackson's Aunt Fern.
The popularity of the movie, the uniqueness of the cake, and the comedic lines surrounding the cake in the movie have made the armadillo grooms cake popular years after the movie's release.

People choose armadillos as a grooms cake for reasons other than its appearance in the movie, of course. Many Texans embrace the armadillo as a mascot, since it is the state mammal of Texas. Randolph Community College in North Carolina claims this armored creature as a mascot along with other schools across the country. Whatever your reason for coveting an armored gray critter cake, it is sure to be charming.



The Bleeding Armadillo

Since grooms cakes are often fun, quirky, or unique, a bleeding armadillo cake can be a perfect choice. In Steel Magnolias the type of cake makes it appear as if it is "bleeding" when cut into slices. The type of cake used to achieve this affect is a red velvet cake, which is a rich, sweet cake that can be made with or without chocolate flavoring. Instant red velvet cake mixes are widely available in supermarkets, and recipes are also available.

The exterior of the armadillo is often made with a butter cream or cream cheese frosting that is colored to resemble an armadillo. While the cake in the movie was made with grey frosting, frosting can be white, black, brown, or other shades. Fondant frosting is used in some armadillo cakes to lend a smoother appearance, and airbrushing used to add detail. The back of the cake may be detailed with score marks or frosted to resemble an armadillo's scales.

An armadillo cake can be served on top of a sheet cake if necessary to accommodate more people for a large wedding party or if served at the reception. Surrounding details can include frosting or plastic grass, insects, logs, and lizards to evoke an armadillo's natural surroundings. Other cakes are shaped as if the armadillo is lying flat on the ground

Making the Cake

Since an armadillo cake requires a bit more work than a standard sheet or round cake, it may be best reserved for experienced bakers. For those willing to try, the cake can be made using a football cake pan as the base and using a mix or recipe for red velvet cake. The head, arms, legs, and tail, can be made from using sections of a loaf cake or from rolled fondant or butter cream frosting. Petal dusts, available at many bakery suppliers, can be used to add sheen to "scales" of the finished cake.
All in One Bake Shop also offers a recipe and full instructions for an armadillo cake, making it possible for anyone to enjoy this unique type of tribute to the groom.



Shrimp Cocktail from Beetlejuice

(Synopsis: 1988; Thanks to the carelessness of a cute little dog, newlyweds Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are killed in a freak auto accident. Upon arriving in the outer offices of Heaven, the couple finds that, thanks to a century's worth of bureaucratic red tape, they're on a long celestial waiting list. Before they can earn their wings, Davis and Baldwin must occupy their old house as ghosts for the next fifty years. Alas, the house is now owned by insufferable yuppies Catherine O'Hara and Jeffrey Jones. Horrified at the prospect of sharing space with these obnoxious interlopers, Davis and Baldwin do their best to scare O'Hara and Jones away, but their house-haunting skills are pathetic at best. In desperation, the ghostly couple engage the services of a veteran scaremeister: a yellow-haired, snaggle-toothed, profane, flatulent "gonzo" spirit named Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton). The problem: Beetlejuice cannot be trusted-especially when he falls in love with O'Hara and Jones' gloomy, black-clad teenaged daughter Winona Ryder.)



Tejano Style Shrimp Cocktail

By: Rey Garza
"For those of you unable to make it to south Texas, A shrimp cocktail made Tex Mex style to include cilantro and chile serrano for that authentic flavor that will blow your tastebuds away, without leaving your home! Serve with saltine crackers."

Ingredients

1 pound cooked medium shrimp, chilled
1/2 large cucumber, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 large tomato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
8 green onions, thinly sliced
1 ounce fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 lime

Directions

In a large bowl, combine shrimp, cucumber, tomato, green onion, cilantro, and serrano pepper. Stir in tomato sauce, and vinegar. Squeeze lime juice over mixture.

** For more kick, add an additional pepper **

Well kids I need to get off of here for awhile. I want to thank everyone for coming. I also want to let you all know that I am toying with the idea of shutting down The Frugal Mom on November 30 (my 1yr. anniversary). I would leave it up thru the end of the year so you could pull your favorite recipes and crafts off the site. I have lost a lot the last few months and I don't feel I can continue to bring you a wonderful journey like I used to. Maybe I just need a break, I don't know... nothing is written in stone yet. Anyways, be safe, be smart, and be frugal. HUGS!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Good morning and welcome to the Wonderful First Day of School! YAY! Listen... listen... can you hear it? That's right... the golden sound of SILENCE! OMG is it great or what?? I just got back from dropping the kids off at school and let me tell ya... I only see that mass quantity of smiling mommy faces on the first day of school LMAO! That makes the drive there and the drive back, so incredibly enjoyable even though it's atrociously humid LOL! Now some of you are probably thinking that I don't love my kids. That is further from the truth! I absolutely adore my children... even more so once I've had a break from them. I may be a mommy, but I still need a little "ME time"! It makes me appreciate them even more once they get home... miss them even LMAO! So refresh that cup o' joe and sit with me for a spell and enjoy the wonderful ramblings I like to call my life LOL!

Ok, so I ran across this article about being frugal the other day and I can so incredibly relate to it! I always try to pay my bills as much as possible but often found myself struggling to keep gas in the car, milk in the fridge, etc. So tips to kids everywhere LOL... being frugal also means being smart!

Living on What’s Left
by Terry Rigg

Are you one of those people that pay your bills no matter what? That is an admirable trait to have when managing your money. You made the bill and you feel you are responsible for paying it. Good for you.

Now let’s talk about how much money you have to cover your household expenses after you pay all of those bills. Your household expenses would include your groceries, car gas, school lunches, and all of the other stuff that it takes to run a household. Do you have enough to pay this bill?

All to often, people tend to pay their bills and try to live on what’s left. This never works unless you have enough money left to cover these at home expenses. The grocery bill will always run about the same, you will always need about the same money for gas, etc. In other words, you need enough to live on.

I have seen this time and time again. Another bill is made and the money comes out of the household budget because there is no money available in any other category. Then what happens?

Many people resort to using their credit cards to cover their regular expenses. Since there is no other money available to pay their increased credit card payments, that also has to come out of their household expenses. This is how many people find themselves in over their heads.

There is only one way to change this cycle. You have to allow enough money in your budget to cover the things you need. You must do this even at the expense of your other bills. That could put you in a position that you can’t make some of your payments, but at least you won’t be increasing your debt, except for possibly late fees. If this is your situation you need to seek help to reduce the payments on your other bills.

Naturally, there are many ways to cut your household expenses that will allow you to pay more toward your other bills. You can save a lot of money on groceries by using coupons, buying generic, not using processed foods, etc. The internet is full of ideas and tips to help you save. I would start by visiting The Frugal Shopper at http://www.thefrugalshopper.com.

When you develop or revise your budget, always put the emphasis on your household needs. Once you have determined how much you need to get by, then you can see what is left for other bills.

Terry Rigg is the author of Living Within Your Means – The Easy Way and editor of The FREE Budget Stretcher Newsletter and Budget Stretcher web site . He has 25 years of experience counseling individuals and families concerning their personal finances

Ok today's craft is another great idea from Elizabeth from Twelve Crafts til Christmas. She published this as a baby toy, which I think is a marvelous idea. But I think it can be multi-purposed. I can see making some of these, stuffing this even, and using it as a multi-gadget collector for... well ANYONE! I think I am gonna make one of these out of some pretty fabric and ribbons and on each of the ribbon loops you can attach something small and cute. Like one loop could have a trial size hand sanitizer (Bath & Body have some great ones and a rubber holder too for super cheap!), one could hold a ring of shopper's key cards (yes I am guilty of this too!), one loop could have a mini flashlight, etc. etc. etc. You get the idea. I think it would be a SUPER gift, especially if you attach the items to the Taggie! The site has great step-by-step photos to go along with the instructions, SEW here ya go LOL... enjoy!



Craft Idea of the Day: Monogram Taggie

Materials:
-fleece, soft fabric or flannel in contrasting or matching patterns/colors
-a variety of ribbons
-a baby link or toy hook

Directions:

1) Use Word, Publisher or whatever to pick a font, make a very large letter using the first letter of the baby's name (first or last name) print out and cut adding about 1/4 inch edge all the way around when cutting.

2) Place fabric wrongs sides together. Pin printed letter to fabric and cut out.

3) Cut strips of ribbon about four inches long. I used 14 ribbons total.

4) Fold ribbons in half and pin around the right side of the thicker of the two fabrics.

5) Place letters right sides together and pin.

6) Sew around outside of letter. If you are doing a letter with an opening in the center of the letter - like A, B, D, etc., don't sew the center openings and sew all around the outside leaving no opening for turning. If you are doing a letter like C, S, N, etc., leave a two inch whole for turning when sewing around the outside of the letter.

7) Unpin, clip corners and turn. I used the opening in the center of the A for turning.

8) Topstitch around outside of letter. If you are doing a C, S, N, etc without a center opening, fold in the turning hole which will be sewn shut in topstitching. If you are doing another letter with a center opening or two, continue to the next step.

9) Trim opening(s) with pinking shears. You could do this earlier, but I waited until this point because the fabric could shift in topstitching the outer edge. I wanted to make sure that the edges were fairly evenly matched in the center. After cutting with pinking shears, topstitch around opening(s).

10) Add a baby link and little toy. Personalized gift . . . done!

Ok, its time for some of our readers (and especially mine) favorite section... FOOD! Yes friends it's time to reveal the Frugal Mom's secret theme of the week which will inspire some culinary genious or guts LOL! You'll get facts and alot of tasty recipes to experiment with in this section. So are you ready?? This week's theme is MEMORABLE MOVIE WEEK! Yes folks, this week I am gonna bring you dishes made famous by some of the most memorable movies of this century. Cartoons to Cult Classics, I'll bring you lots of fun and adventure this week, that's for sure! Thousands of food references are made in the movies.... from a single dish that stands out in a famous scene, to the title of the movie, to the theme of the movie itself!

Today's movie I have picked is one that I used to do an impression of that would crack up my mother every time! FORREST GUMP is today's Monday Matinee Madness! Now everyone knows, whether you have actually seen the movie or not, that 2 things were made famous from this movie... A box of chocolates and SHRIMP! So guess what this Gulf Coast child has in store for you? Yep, a school of delectable crustaceans is swimming your way today! YUMM-A-LICIOUS! (LOL I actually had to stop for a sec and think what a group of shrimp was called LOL... you hear "school of fish" or "pod of whales" all the time... but never shrimp LOL!)

The truth is... All Shrimp Are Not The Same, each type or species of shrimp have their own characteristics as far as flavor, texture, cooking times and a best cooking method for them. You have Gulf Shrimp, Farm Raised Shrimp, Imported Shrimp and Coldwater. You have shrimp with brown, white and pink shells. There are even shrimp with strips on them called Tiger Shrimp and with over 300 species of Shrimp in the world I'm sure you can find many more shell colors and names given to shrimp. The flavor and texture of shrimp are influenced by the waters they come from or are raised in, plus from what they eat or are fed. Wild shrimp feed on seaweed and crustaceans which gives them a more enriched flavor and thicker shells. The ability to swim freely also makes the meat firmer.

Tiger Shrimp
Grown mainly in Asian Countries, (Black tiger shrimp are also caught wild) they get their name because of the black and gray strips on their shells in the raw state. You also have what is called a blue tiger which are a blue shade and have yellow feelers, still a species of black tigers. The reason for the blue shade is that the food they are fed does not contain iron. A cooked black tiger shrimp shell will turn bright red and the meat will be white with a red skin tone. The moisture content in them is much higher than white, brown or pink shrimp, so they will shrink more when cooking them. The flavor is very mild and the texture is less dense. To avoid the shrinking and making them tough, I have learned to slightly under cook them. Because of the mild flavor of tigers, they are best when you use them in a cooking method that adds flavor to them, like grilling or in recipes or dishes that would have a sauce.

Coldwater Shrimp
These shrimp are wild caught from the waters of Greenland, Norway, Iceland and from the coast waters of Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Maine. Some common names for Coldwater shrimp are salad, pink, bay, tiny, cooked/peeled and baby. The shells are bright reddish-pink both in the raw and cooked state. The meat will be white with color tones from pale pink to a dark reddish-pink. Cold water shrimp are small ranging in size from 150 to 500 shrimp per pound. Almost all of them you will find will be cooked and peeled, they have a soft texture and a sweet taste to them.

Farm-Raised White Shrimp
Mexico, Ecuador, China and India produce the majority of the farm raised white shrimp to the U.S. Even though they are called white shrimp their shells are a light grayish-white and turn pink when cooked. The shell can be thinner than wild caught shrimp. Farm-Raised shrimp will have a milder flavor and sometimes a less firm meat texture, due to the environment they are raised in. A thinner shelled shrimp requires less cooking time, if cooking them in the shell.

So now that I have shared some interesting facts about shrimp, I am gonna share some super delish recipes... so EAT & ENJOY! (And remember the TRULY FRUGAL person will KEEP the heads and shells and make a stock out of it!)



New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp

Don’t break out your grill for this dish. In New Orleans, barbecued shrimp means sautéed shrimp in Worcestershire-spiked butter sauce. These shrimp are served to patrons with heads and tails on, so you need to dig in to enjoy. I highly recommend a bib. They are famous for their barbecued shrimp, and with reason. The biggest trick to making this taste like theirs is to not hold back on the butter. The three sticks called for are enough to scare you into cholesterol shock, but are key to the flavor and consistency of the sauce. Another tip to keep in mind: to emulsify the sauce, be sure to add a little butter at a time while stirring rapidly. And don’t overcook the shrimp or they’ll become tough and hard to peel.

16 jumbo shrimp (12 per pound, about 1 1/2 pounds), with heads and unpeeled
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cubed
French bread as accompaniment

In a large skillet combine shrimp, Worcestershire, lemon juice, black peppers, Creole seasoning, and garlic and cook over moderately high heat until shrimp turn pink, about 1 minute on each side. Reduce heat to moderate and stir in butter, a few cubes at a time, stirring constantly and adding more only when butter is melted. Remove skillet from heat. Place shrimp in a bowl and pour sauce over top. Serve with French bread for dipping.



Dilled Shrimp (Rejer)

(A wonderful Danish dish tradtionally served during the holidays. No Scandinavian buffet is complete without these!)

Ingredients

2 quarts water
1/8 cup coarse salt
1/3 cup white sugar
5 sprigs dill
2 pounds medium shrimp, with shells (or you can used UNcooked, peeled and deveined but tails on shrimp from your local fish monger)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add salt, sugar, and dill sprigs; stir until sugar has dissolved. Pour in shrimp and cook until the shells turn pink, and the meat is no longer translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Strain the shrimp through a colander, discard dill sprigs, and chill until cold in the refrigerator, about 30 minutes.

Once shrimp have cooled, peel and devein them; discard the shells. Whisk together oil, vinegar, minced dill, salt, and pepper; toss with shrimp meat to coat. Cover, and chill overnight in the refrigerator; serve with sprigs of fresh dill.



Shrimp and Mushroom Linguini with Creamy Cheese Herb Sauce

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package linguini pasta
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup pasta water
1 pound cooked shrimp

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguini, and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender. Transfer to a plate.

In the same pan, melt 1/2 cup butter with the minced garlic. Stir in the cream cheese, breaking it up with a spoon as it melts. Stir in the parsley and basil.

Simmer for 5 minutes. Mix in milk, wine, and water until sauce is smooth. Stir in cooked shrimp and mushrooms, and heat through.

Toss linguini with shrimp sauce, and serve.



Fried Butterflied Shrimp

Ingredients

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined and butterflied
1 cup water or beer
3/4 cups cornstarch
2 eggs
1/4 cup fine corn meal
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
Salt, pepper, and granulated garlic to taste
5 cups oil for deep frying

Directions

Preheat deep fryer or skillet with oil to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large bowl, pour in water and mix in cornstarch and eggs. In a separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Dip the shrimp into the mixture allowing them to be completely coated. Then roll the shrimp in the breadcrumbs. Coat the shrimp well with the breadcrumbs.

Drop shrimp, one at a time, into the hot oil and cook shrimp until they are golden brown.



Seafood Stuffed Avocados

Ingredients

1/2 cup flaked cooked crabmeat
1/2 cup cooked small shrimp
2 tablespoons peeled and diced cucumber
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 pinch salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 pinch paprika
1 avocado

Directions

In a bowl, mix the crab, shrimp, cucumber, mayonnaise, and parsley. Season with salt, and pepper. Cover, and chill until serving.
Slice the avocados lengthwise, and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado, leaving about 1/2 inch on the peel. Dice up the avocado meat and add to the seafood mixture.Spoon the seafood mixture into the hollowed centers of the avocado halves. Sprinkle the tops with paprika.

Ok kids, thats it. I am off of here to go dance me a jig and sing Joy to the World for the next 7 hours LOL! Actually I have alot of fun and adventure planned for today, so I hope that you have a super duper cool Monday like I am going to have! Be safe, Be smart, and Be frugal! Until tomorrow... HUGS!

TERRIFIC TOMATOES

Good Monday morning to everyone! How are you doing today? I'm sort of melancholy this morning. Perhaps its just because I am not feeling too well. Or perhaps its because the kitten, Mittens, is not feeling well either. I'm not sure really. So I am really hoping that writing and hanging out with you guys will help me get in a better mood at least. Just have to wait for the physical to pass then.

I want to apologize for the error in pictures posted with the recipe yesterday. I guess I wasn't paying attention and uploaded the wrong picture. It has been deleted. I wasn't feeling real good and guess I was not paying close enough attention. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

When I was logging on to Yahoo, I saw yet another article that caught my eye... actually the words "healthy" and "budget" caught my eye (the latter having more appeal LOL). I think its great info broken down to the pennies (almost literally) and felt it was my duty, as the Frugal Mom, to bring it to you.

10 Best Foods For Your Buck
By AllYou.com

Plan your menus around healthy, nutrient-packed staples that won’t give you sticker shock at the checkout.

Make the most of your grocery budget by stocking up on these versatile natural foods that are good for your health and wallet.



Peanut butter
Why it's a 10 best:This popular pantry item offers protein and heart-healthy unsaturated fats.
Use it it: Snacks, sandwiches, sauces, and baking goods.
Cost: About 20¢ for 2 tablespoons



Eggs
Why they're a 10 best: Eggs are a good source of lean protein, and also contain vitamin B12, riboflavin and phosphorus.
Use them in: Omelets, frittatas and salads
Cost: About 13¢ per large egg



Oats
Why they're a 20 best: This grain helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.
Use them in: Baked goods, breakfast and to stretch ground-meat dishes
Cost: About 17¢ per ½ cup for quick-cooking oats



Apples
Why they're a 10 best: This fruit is a good source of vitamin C and is full of both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Use them in: Salads and baked goods; as a snack
Cost: About 60¢ each, depending on variety and season



Spinach
Why it's a 10 best: This leafy green is loaded with vitamins (A, C, K and folic acid) and manganese.
Use it in: Salads, pasta dishes, casseroles, soups and stews
Cost: About $1 for 5 ounces of fresh spinach



Beans
Why they're a 10 best: This tasty staple provides lean protein that’s full of fiber, calcium, folic acid and iron and other minerals.
Use them in: Salad and stews
Cost: About 35¢ per ½-cup serving (canned)



Frozen vegetables
Why they're a 10 best: They provide fiber and an array of nutrients, depending on which veggies you buy.
Use them in: Sides and casseroles
Cost: About 40¢ per serving



Sweet potatoes
Why they're a 10 best: These spuds are very filling (because they contain fiber) and a source of vitamins A and B6.
Use them in: Main and side dishes
Cost: About $1 each



Brown rice
Why it's a 10 best: Brown rice is a whole grain and a source of vitamin B6, magnesium, copper, zinc and manganese.
Use it in: Soups, salads and side dishes
Cost: About 37¢ per ½ cup (cooked)



Canned tuna fish
Why it’s a 10 Best: This fish is a healthful lean protein and contains omega-3 fatty acids.
Use it in: Sandwiches, casseroles and salads
Cost: About 75c per 3 ounces

Ok, so do you see it? Are you watching? LOL! The Christmas Countdown is closing in on that magical number! So who's doing the challenge with me? Have you made your lists? Talk to me my peeps! LOL... Well the DD's party challenge is just about over. And the Fabric Challenge is about half over and the kitchen is almost done. And starting the Christmas Challenge will probably help complete the FC too! So double duty-ing is a good thing LOL! Now on this Christmas Challenge, I plan to make as much of each gift AND presentation as possible. I plan on making personalized gift bags for the gifts (when necessary), etc. All edible gifts will obviously be done at the "last minute" but if the supplies for those gifts are shelf stable, then they will at least be bought ahead of time to ensure we have them. This challenge takes a bit of planning but I think it will be turning out super spiffy. My gift giving will cover a large range of people... from babies to seniors, women and men, manly to feminine, and everything in between! I am lucky that I have the kinds of people who are very different yet all like homemade gifts. They really appreciate them and that makes it all the more fun! So take your time and really think about the person you are gifting to. What do they like, what could be useful to them, etc. Then take those ideas and make some magic! Now my grandma and mom were/are the crocheters of the family and when you crochet or knit, you have various size needles for different jobs right? Well if you have a crocheter or knitter in your family, here is something you could make to help them keep all their needles in one place and not lost! So hop on over to this great crafter's site for step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make this great gift idea!



Craft Idea of the Day: Crochet Hook Rollup Case

(And no mom, that's not what you are getting LOL! Nice try though! LMAO) Isn't that the cutest thing? And the artist made it with pigs, which a friend of mine would love too LOL! You could pair that with maybe a skein of yarn you got on sale or with a coupon, and maybe a couple of crochet project patterns. Put that in a cute gift bag and there you have a frugal gift tailored to the recipients personal likes/hobbies! Better yet... MAKE the bag too! LOL! You see, a little imagination and you can make some awesome gifts and some even better memories!

Well, its a new week and that means a new theme! Now Susan suggested a week with specific ingredients, maybe focus on something coming out of my garden. I think she is on to something LOL. Now I had mentioned times back I could do "ingredient specific" theme weeks... BUT... I already share my garden with you through stories and pictures... why not through eating it too!? Now I am growing quite a few different things, so choosing is the hardest part, I think LOL! But after careful consideration, and sitting in my garden LOL, I have decided that this week will be TERRIFIC TOMATO WEEK! Now I could bring you recipes for tomato sauce and be done with it, but do you really think that's the only thing I will be doing with the (hopefully) huge tomato harvest?? NOPE! I am gonna bring you recipes utilizing all kinds of tomatoes seeing as I grow everything from Husky Cherry to Big Boy, Roma and Celebrity, and (trying) to start some Brandywine seeds again from my dear friend Jean. So my friends, get ready for some TERRIFIC TOMATO facts and foods! Let's start with some tasty stuffed tomatoes, shall we?



Crab Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can crabmeat - drained, flaked and cartilage removed
1/2 cup diced green pepper
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cider or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Cut a thin slice off tops of tomatoes and carefully scoop out insides; invert on paper towels to drain. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients; mix well. Stuff tomatoes; place in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in x 2-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until heated through. Serve warm.



Creamy Shrimp Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes
1/2 pound cooked shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

Directions:

Cut the top off each cherry tomato, and scoop out the pulp. Place the tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain.

In a food processor, mix the shrimp, cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, horseradish, Old Bay seasoning, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.

With a pastry bag, pipe the shrimp mixture into the cherry tomatoes. Garnish with parsley, and refrigerate until serving.



Sausage Stuffed Tomatoes

2 large ripe tomatoes
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, partially drained
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces (You can also use ground breakfast sausage that has been browned and drained)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Cut the tops off of the tomatoes and use a knife to cut around the inside, separating the flesh from the skin. Scoop out the flesh. Place the tomatoes in a small baking dish. In a small bowl combine the canned tomatoes with the bread crumbs, 1/3 cup of cheese and the sausage; mix well. Spoon the mixture into the tomato skins and top with the remaining 1/3 cup of cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes.

(***NOTE*** For larger tomatoes used as sides or entrees, you can also add cooked rice to the filling. To make this a vegetarian dish, substitute the sausage with corn.)

Ok everyone, that's all she wrote for today. Its been a blast but now I must get down to business and start my day. I hope you had fun and will be visiting again tomorrow for some more fun and adventures in the world of frugality! Until tomorrow... HUGS!

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

Well a Happy April Fool’s Day to you there! How are you doing this day of days? I’m good… it was a busy day yesterday for our house. Doctors, cleaning, planning, etc. The doctors appointments went good… got tons of Rx’s LOL, DD got her final Gardasil shot and the Meningitis shot, and the DS18 got his physical for football spring camp and then next school season. I think my pharmacist hates it when I come… seriously… cause I brought in a combined 11 prescriptions today alone! LOL I could start my own pharmacy. And that’s only 1 months worth LMAO! I did also find out that I lost another pound according to the scale at CVS! YAY! That’s 8 pounds this month! WOOHOO! We didn’t go to the beach because we weren’t on the island long enough for the water to be warm enough to go in. Also didn’t go to Pier 1 cause they were still closed by the time we were done. So we came home and piddled LOL!



I started painting the yellow squares on the cabinet doors yesterday when we got home from the Doctor’s appointments. I used that blue painters tape, and let me tell ya… IT SUCKS! I had to go back and straighten up each square I “painted” by hand! It was a lot of hassle if ya ask me! I won’t be using it again! This picture is the first cabinet door after the touchups. Once I get the wallies on there though, it will be so cute! I just have to wait til I have the cash for them to order online… cause nobody around here has lemons! UGH! This kitchen is truly gonna end up being a DIY! But I am having fun LOL!



All this painting is getting me in the crafty mood! Well since today starts Autism Awareness month, I will begin sewing my little heart out with Autism print goodies. I have learned so much in my journey to make his life easier, and I will learn everyday for the rest of my life! Autism effects 1 in every 150 children and that gap is closing every year. It is more common in boys than girls. The puzzle piece was chosen to “represent” autism. It means different things to different people. The ASA is quoted as saying “The puzzle pattern reflects the mystery and complexity of the autism spectrum. The different colors and shapes represent the diversity of the people and families living with the condition. The brightness of the ribbon signals hope—hope that through increased awareness of autism, and through early intervention and appropriate treatments, people with autism will lead fuller, more complete lives.” Although there are a few underlying meanings as well, one being is that a high percentage of children with Autism play with puzzles. The reason being, puzzles are a 1 person game that do not rely on any interaction from anyone else. The interpretation of Autism comes from Latin defined as “oneself”. Here is how I see it. My son is the best gift God could have ever given to me. Even with his Autism. He is a puzzle you never know where the next piece is going. Anyone can put a puzzle together to see the pretty picture in the end. I hope that once all the pieces come together, everyone will see just how beautiful and smart these children are. Don’t focus on the Autism, focus on the child.

One of the things I will be making is a cute traveling Crayon tote for kids. It’s a great travel item for when you are going to the doctor, taking road trips, etc. It has single slots for crayons, as well as pockets for coloring books, etc. It would also be something neat to maybe put in an Easter basket (which is Sunday ya know!). Put some crayons and a book or 2 from the Dollar store and they make great items to donate to children’s hospitals and foundations, too!



Craft Idea of the Day: Jungle Crayon Bag

Supplies:

2 pieces jungle print 10” x 17”
1/2 yard red solid
7/8 yard royal blue solid
1 yard green solid
1/2 yard yellow solid
2 spools variegated Woolly Nylon
6” x 1” strip red hook-and-loop tape
1 spool blending serger thread
Embroidery threads to contrast with fabrics
All purpose threads to match fabrics
1 ¼ yards 1” wide red webbing for handles
Can of temporary Spray Adhesive
Seam Sealant
Basic Sewing supplies and tools

Intsructions:

Outer Bag:

1. From red solid fabric, cut 2 pieces 17* x 14”. From Royal blue fabric cut 2 pieces 17” x 17”.

2. Machine embroider a 3” to 4” band on one 17” edge of each red piece with appropriate jungle animals.

3. With variegated thread in both loopers and blending serger thread in left needle, serge top 17” edge of jungle print pieces and red pockets.

4. Place 3 fabric layers together and spray with adhesive. With right side of each piece facing, sew all layers together along unsergered 17” edge.

Inner Bag:

1. From red cut one piece 17”x 8”. From Royal blue cut one 17”x12”. From yellow solid cut one piece 17”x20”. From green cut one piece 17”x32”.

2. Embellish both 17” edges of each strip with appropriate machine embroidery.

3. Serge both 17” edges of yellow, red, and blue pockets. Layer red and blue pieces. Mark 1” intervals on red fabric and stitch through both layers on marked lines.

4. Layer all 4 fabrics and spray with adhesive. With red stitch thread, stitch a horizontal line across the center of the red pocket to complete the crayon partitions.

Assembly:

1. Place inner and outer bag layers together, wrong sides facing. Spray with adhesive.

2. Serge around all outer edges with variegated thread in both loopers and blending serger thread in the left needle.

3. Place seam sealant at all corners and allow to dry completely and then trim all serger tail threads.

4. Cut Red webbing in two 20 ½ “ lengths for handles stitch both ends to outer bag front. Leave 2 ½ “ of webbing from top edge to bottom of webbing piece, all being stitched to bag in a rectangle pattern and then an “X” in the center.

5. Cut hook and loop tape in 1” segments for fasteners. Place two fasteners between the jungle print and red pockets, each side of outer bag. Center one fastener between red and blue pockets, each side of outer bag.

Now, I know some of you are saying that it’s a cute idea, but you don’t have a serger, right? Don’t worry cause I don’t have one either. I will be dressing the edges with ribbons, etc. and using good old fashion sewing. There won’t be any cutesy embroidery on mine, but they will be awesome with the puzzle prints representing autism! When I get one done I will post the pictures!

Now I bet all that reading made you hungry right? Well, as you know this is casserole week, and with me living on the Gulf Coast and always talking about seafood, you should have KNOWN that it was going to come into play SOMEWHERE LOL! Here is a great recipe for some serious seafood scrum-diddly-umptousness!



Seafood Casserole

Ingredients

1/3 cup minced onion
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup light cream
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon chopped pimento
1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon snipped fresh parsley
1 cup flaked cooked crabmeat
1 cup peeled cooked shrimp
2 cups cooked rice
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Directions

In a saucepan, saute onion in butter; blend in flour. Add milk and cream; cook and stir until thick and bubbly. Remove from the heat; stir in salt, pepper, pimiento, water chestnuts, lemon juice, parsley, crabmeat, shrimp, rice and half of the cheese. Spoon into a 2-1/2-qt. casserole. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining cheese just before serving.

Alright gang, that about does it for me today. Its gonna be a day full of cooking, cleaning, sewing, and shopping! LOL! I am feeling speedy and spunky so its gonna be super crazy running day! Ya’ll be safe in whatever you find yourself doing today and I will see you tomorrow. HUGS!!

TROPICAL SCAVENGER HUNT

Good morning everyone! How are you doing this crazy day? I’m rather exhausted actually. Remember I said I was going to my mom’s for the berry vine hunt? Well it turned out to be a full out botanical scavenger hunt and boy let me tell you… it was fun but now my body is saying WHOA! LOL. Just hope the doctor doesn’t ask me how I’m doing today LOL! I have to share some of the cool things we found with you. We found a lot of poison ivy, but that’s not cool and we didn’t get any of that LOL! (Sorry for the less than perfect pictures… I took them with my phone cause my camera cord is caput!)



This big old boy and his purple offspring are called Yucca plants. These are growing like crazy out behind my parent’s house. They are very pretty when they flower, putting off white or purple flowers from a stalk in the center of the plant. The spines are razor sharp and do a lot of damage if you are not careful. The Yucca plant is a member of the Agave family and there are 49 different types. Yuccas are widely grown as ornamental plants in gardens. Many yuccas also bear edible parts, including fruits, seeds, flowers, flowering stems, and more rarely roots, but use of these is sufficiently limited that references to yucca as food more often than not stem from confusion with the similarly spelled but botanically unrelated yuca. I brought home 3 of these fellas and there are BUNCHES more to save!



Here you see a piece of a plant called a Purple Heart. It is a tropical plant, related to Wandering Jew, which performs well as an annual in Kentucky flower gardens. The plant has purple colored foliage and grows well during the summer. Purple Heart grows well in full sun but can tolerate shady conditions and can be grown as a house plant. Purple Heart is easy to propagate from cuttings, even in a glass of water on the windowsill.



These are my little “Purple figlets” LOL. There are 11 cuttings from a Celeste Fig Tree. Most varieties require very warm weather but the Celeste fig is a cultivar that's unusually resistant to cold. It can thrive in USDA zone 8, meaning that it can withstand winter temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The Celeste fig tree is very productive and the main crop of fruit ripens in the middle of June. I love this fruit! It makes EXCELLENT homemade jams and desserts. Now ya wanna know the funny part? I’m very allergic to the leaves and sap from this tree! So does that make me insanely crazy or a devoted gardener? LOL!



Ah the Sago Palm tree baby. It is seen in almost all botanical gardens, in both temperate and tropical locations. In many areas of the world, it is heavily promoted commercially as a landscape plant. It is also quite popular as a bonsai plant. First described in the late 1700s, it is native to various areas of southern Japan and is thus tolerant of mild to somewhat cold temperatures, provided the ground is dry. These are 2 younger sprouts and there were many more to harvest in the wilds of my parents property.



The time honored Aloe Vera plant! There is a HUGE patch of these little green beauties running all over the place out there! Aloe vera, also known as the medicinal aloe, is a species of succulent plant that probably originated in Northern Africa, the Canary islands and Cape Verde. Aloe vera grows in arid climates and is widely distributed in Africa\India and other arid areas. The species is frequently cited as being used in herbal medicine. Many scientific studies of the use of aloe vera have been undertaken, some of them conflicting. Despite these limitations, there is some preliminary evidence that Aloe vera extracts may be useful in the treatment of wound and burn healing, diabetes and elevated blood lipids in humans.

I also brought home some Cacti and a few other plant cuttings, clippings, etc. We shall see over the next few days if they take or not. Keeping my fingers crossed! Now I didn’t have much time to craft yesterday, obviously, so there is really no craft for today.

And then of course, you need something to eat right? Well seeing that I was so dog tired, the DH made spaghetti (well under my supervision he made it LOL). Today I need something quick and easy… so I am thinking this shrimp dish will satisfy everyone!



Peppered Shrimp Alfredo

Ingredients

12 ounces penne pasta
1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 pound portobello mushrooms, diced
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1/2 cup cream
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Meanwhile, melt butter together with the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onion, and cook until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic, red pepper, and mushroom; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes more.

Stir in the shrimp, and cook until firm and pink, then pour in Alfredo sauce, Romano cheese, and cream; bring to a simmer stirring constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste. Stir drained pasta into the sauce, and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.

Well gang, I gotta get off here and run to the doctor’s office. I will let you know what all happens. Be safe today in your adventures and live life to the fullest! 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!

FEBRUARY WRAP-UP

Well a worn out welcome to the last day of the month to you! How are you doing today? Me… well I’m tired really… very sore and tired but let me tell you I had one of the best times yesterday! I always have a good time when I am with my parents. I gotta say my mom is my best girl friend (above only my daughter!)… as long as we don’t live together LOL! I finally told my daughter why I haven’t been feeling real well and then I broke down and cried in her hug. I feel like I let her down. She says not but I did scare her… understandable. I promised her I wouldn’t ever do that again. And for this family… the “P” word is a BIG deal… you do NOT say it unless you will keep it!

Ok, so I told you yesterday that my parents and I were going to the BIG Farmer’s Market in Houston right? Granted my parents have been to that one, but I never have so it was very exciting! (Oh and BTW Thank you Hazel for the sweet comment. I try to make all my outings fun… not just shopping. But we did have a blast and its something I wish all my followers and friends could do! I would love to meet some of you guys and gals one day! That would be awesome!) It was definitely an adventure let me tell you… I floated all day! I know… you are thinking that I am a super weirdo for being made happy by fresh produce, but when you love cooking like I do, well what can I say LOL!



Here I am outside the front entrance to the biggest Farmer’s Market I have ever been to! OMG it was huge… my mom made joked about the size of my eyeballs when we first walked in and she was right LOL! I was in heaven! Oh the things I could do with all that produce!



Here I am again LOL (Everyone is lucky… I normally HATE pics of myself taken, but I wanted you all to see my adventures LOL). This time you see me picking out this HUGE 10-15 yellow onion! It was at least 1 pound by itself I swear… bigger than a softball if you can imagine it! I mean look at it in my hand! I have HUGE hands LMAO!



This is my Dad… everyone say HI Dad! LOL… I took this picture right before we had the coolest experience! Ok, so I was talking to Dad and explaining about the yummy Chili Rellenos with the HUGE poblano peppers (while I am grabbing them LOL). Ok so this older lady is standing next to me and I thought I was in her way… so did my dad LOL. We went to move and I apologized for being in her way and she was like “Oh no dear I’m listening to you!” I was like OH Ok lol and kept with my “cooking lesson” LOL. Before I know it I had a group of people standing around listening! I got 15 minutes of fame. I was important and people were truly interested in what I was saying! Oh it was the coolest feeling! I wore a huge grin and swore I was floating on air the rest of the day LOL. My parents just laughed!



This is my mom… the mastermind behind MY mastermind (cooking, sewing, you name it! This lovely wonderful lady taught me everything I know!). In this picture, she was browsing some of the wonderful produce from the individual sellers booths. We found some HUGE and very yummy produce from the individuals for great prices. Softball size avocados, 18 in. tall pineapples, you name it. I even found a plant (I can’t remember what it was called) but it was like Spanish Broccoli. It was interesting and if I could remember what it was called, I could research it and maybe try it the next time I go! But look at all the beautiful food around my mom!



Here is my Dad and I outside the Spice Market. OMG this place is like the super duper spice house! Outside you can find ceramics and such. It’s on the corner of the road- across from the farmers produce area and next door to the fresh bakery! I think my map says that you can find this building at the intersection of OMG and WOW!LOL!



And here I am (acting goofy LOL) in spice heaven! OMG there was nothing but walls and walls of spices! Anything you can possibly imagine! Things you can find everywhere and things you can’t hardly find at all… like my SMOKED paprika! OMG and my chili fruit powder! YUMMYYYY!! So I got a scoop of each! Trust me I could have got more, but I was practicing restraint! LOL… This could easily be a C-note shop… oh yea baby! So many new meals could come out of this little corner of heaven!



This is the pretty load I ended up with. The potatoes were bigger than my hand, huge onions, tall pineapples, the monster head of cabbage I got for around $1.30 (it was a 4 pd. Cabbage!), the huge zucchinis, you name it! Oh my brain was going 90 to nothing walking around this gold mine of greenery! As I walked through the aisles, I was getting new ideas of things to try!

After our day at the city blocks full of food, we set off on the adventure to find 2 of these salvage grocery stores. Well we found the first one in a very unattractive area of town, so we decided to go to the other one on our side of town. OK… found it, so let’s look. Inside was a migraine producing mess of mainly expired stuff! They had a few things of soon to expire, but for the most part I was so not impressed. I bought a few things, but not many… and we left. I won’t be recommending or visiting those 2 locations anymore! My mother-in-law tells my husband that the one up by her is an absolute awesome place… but I am not going all that way for a few groceries that I can find locally.

After the Salvage Grocer, we headed back towards our area of town. We stopped for lunch at Red Lobster and had a lot more laughs and fun. We also had a great meal as well. I thought my Dad was going to pass tea and clam chowder through his nose at one point LOL. I had him laughing about I couldn’t take home food because it was evidence LMAO. He said the “smell of shrimp and crab might give me away” LOL So I said no it won’t… watch this! I squeezed the lemon over my hands and began rubbing them together LOL! Then he started giggling so I said LOOK perfume! And I rubbed the lemon slice behind my ears and on my wrists LMAO! Both my parents were laughing so I was happy. They laughed a lot yesterday and that was the best part. They deserve that… to have fun and be happy!

Alright ladies and gents, its time for The Bucket List! As you know, the last few days I have been working on my list of “life goals” ever since my mom showed me the March issue of Texas Monthly. I told ya’ll that I would make a list of 100 things (cause I would like to think I still have quite a while to fill it LOL!) I want to do before I kick the bucket. At first, the ideas came easy… I thought I would finish it in no time flat right? NOPE… Six hours after I had started it, I was only on #50 and it stayed there until Saturday! WOW… it also made me realize what a boring person I have been… and so much of a hermit! LOL Then I looked at the list I had made so far and said… OMG I like some weird stuff! LOL. But the weird and unusual normally makes for extraordinary memories! And that’s what I want ya know? When I was diagnosed with Cancer and the doctor I had at the time said some rather “harsh” things to me, I remember going out for a walk just to clear my head. At that moment I actually noticed that the world had color! I mean how blue the sky was, green of the grass, and even the rainbow of colors in the trash on the side of the road! Somehow, since being in remission, I have lost those colors again and perhaps this bucket list is what I needed to help bring them back! As, Phil Keoghan, the host of the television show, “The Amazing Race,” said, ditch the excuses...seize the opportunity... to live life now! With no more shoulda, coulda, or woulda… so that’s what I am gonna do… TRY to live each day like it’s my last… or at minimum, like the day of my diagnosis. But I think I’m gonna stick with 50 right now and when I cross something off, I will add another… If you have ideas, by all means let me know. I know some will say “What about skydiving or swimming with dolphins, etc.) but ya know this evaluation of myself has made me realize I’m not really into those kinds of things. But I WILL listen to all your ideas! So without further ado… here is Renee’s Bucket List (Not necessarily done in this order! LOL)!

1. Sip a Dublin Dr. Pepper at the factory in Dublin.
2. Take in the River Walk at Christmas in San Antonio.
3. See the Marfa Lights.
4. See the King of Rock and Roll in Los Fresnos.
5. Spray Paint a Car at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo.
6. Eat a Chicken Fried Steak at Mary’s Café in Strawn, TX.
7. Visit the LadyBird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.
8. Enter a Chili Cookoff.
9. Visit Graceland in Memphis, TN.
10. Visit the World’s Largest Wooden Nickel in San Antonio.
11. Visit the World’s Largest Cowboy Boots in San Antonio.
12. Visit the Milk Bottle Building in Corpus Christi.
13. Visit the Tee Pee Courts in Wharton, TX.
14. Visit sites in San Antonio- the Alamo, Seaworld, Ripley’s, etc.
15. Visit the World’s Largest Fire Hydrant in Beaumont.
16. Take the kids to Disneyland or Disney World.
17. Visit Ground Zero to properly pay my respects.
18. Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in Mescalero, NM.
19. Shop a Farmer’s market in France.
20. Visit at least 1 city/town in each one of the 50 States.
21. Write and publish a book.
22. Own stocks in a Fortune 500 company to leave to my children.
23. Own or build a restaurant.
24. Visit the World’s Largest Oatmeal box in Oatmeal, TX.
25. Experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA
26. Meet Paula Deen and Emeril Lagasse.
27. Help build a Habitat for Humanity Home.
28. Live a 75% Green life (If not more)!
29. Visit the Titanic Wreckage aboard a submarine.
30. Buy at least 1 thing on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
31. Go on a wildlife photography safari.
32. Attend the Culinary Institute of America in New York.
33. Visit the Great Pyramids of Egypt.
34. Visit the World’s Largest Saxophone in Houston, TX.
35. Ghost Hunt on the U.S.S. Lexington in Corpus Christi.
36. Go to a Broadway stage show in New York.
37. Visit the Beer Can House in Houston, TX.
38. Spend a weekend on Bourbon Street/French Quarter in LA.
39. Design/Build and live on a farm/ranch- complete with animals.
40. Visit the Little Eiffel Tower in Paris, TX.
41. Visit the 7 Wonders of the World.
42. Take a picture in front of the Big Strawberry in Poteet, TX.
43. Eat and attend a show at Medieval Times.
44. Go to see “Old Sparky” at the Texas Prison Museum.
45. Visit the World’s Largest Rattlesnake in Freer, TX.
46. Shop a Farmer’s market in Italy.
47. Plant a Pecan Tree.
48. Visit Las Vegas at night.
49. Conquer my fear of heights.
50. Break a World Record.

Okie dokie… now how cool is that! I have a bucket list LMAO! Ok, now for some delicious food… I was chuckling quietly on how my mother was so loving her meal she bought and dad was loving the flavor too. Red Lobster recently added Wood-Fire Grills to all restaurants nationwide. In addition, Red Lobster added several new menu items - including Peach Bourbon BBQ Shrimp & Bacon Wrapped Scallops. And that is what my mom had for lunch. The meal consists of skewered, wood-grilled jumbo shrimp and bacon-wrapped sea scallops with a sweet peach-bourbon BBQ sauce, over crispy onion rings. So guess what… Just for you mom! I found the recipe for my mother’s lunch INCLUDING the sauce! I know my mother enjoyed and I hope you do to! (This recipe was provided by Michael LaDuke who is the Senior Executive Chef at Red Lobster and is responsible for leading the culinary team in the creation of fresh, delicious seafood for their menu.)



Peach Bourbon BBQ Shrimp & Bacon Wrapped Scallops

Ingredients

24 each 26-30 count peeled shrimp
24 each scallops
4 each Bamboo skewers (soaked in water for 10 - 15 minutes) for shrimp
4 each two-prong metal skewer for scallops
Olive Oil
24 each Bacon
Salt and pepper to taste

Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce

2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce
¼ cup ripe fresh or frozen peaches (peeled, seeded and chopped), or substitute peach preserves
2 ½ Tbsp Bourbon

Preparation:

1. Place shrimp next to each other on a bamboo skewer, leaving room on either end. Make sure to cover the end of the skewer with foil so it doesn't burn.

2. Wrap one piece of bacon around each scallop and place scallops on a two-pronged skewer so they don't turn.

3. Brush both sides of the shrimp and scallops with olive oil and season with salt and pepper

4. Place the shrimp and scallops on a medium hot grill. Keep an eye on them because they will cook quickly and you don't want to burn them.

5. Grill shrimp and scallops for approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Take them off the grill when they are about 80 percent done.

6. Add the Peach Bourbon BBQ sauce during the last moments of cooking or when the cooking is complete for added flavor.

Peach Bourbon BBQ Sauce Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan.
2. Bring to a simmer while stirring for 8-10 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook down.
3. Cool and blend in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Well, we’re to that part again where I tell you how I’m gonna get off here and go do something LOL but ya know… I’m not planning to do anything today LMAO! I’m am gonna be lazy and MAYBE piddle if I want to LMAO. If I get absolutely nothing accomplished, its not gonna bother me one bit LOL! I’ve been through and done a lot the last few days and this last day of the month I am gonna rest… just rest! If I want to nap at 3pm, then by golly I am gonna nap at 3pm! LMAO… So best wishes in whatever you set out to do today and I will see you again tomorrow! HUGS!!