This is a favorite side around here. We just love it beyond what words could describe. It is super easy to make and is also really quick for those nights when you need to throw something together for the family or to impress unexpected guests. I ALWAYS keep several cans of carrots on hand just [...]
When I make this bread it gets really quiet around my house. That means I make it often! Quiet around this place is SACRED! Usually there is a dull roar. But a roar none-the-less. And at times it is louder around here than a rock concert. So if I make something where everyone just sits around [...]
Recently when I was at the National Cornbread Festival I came across a booth that was selling Muscadine Juice. Not wine…JUICE! I was so thrilled…and then I tasted it. OhhhMyStinkinHeck, that is the best stuff I think I have ever put in my mouth. As a kid I can remember being at my grandparents house [...]
“Thanks to Seagate for supplying product for giveaway and some of the information in this post.” I have been a Mother for 22 years. Saying that out loud just seems absurd to me. It is so hard to fathom that I have a 22 year old and a 15 year old child. Think of the [...]
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner I have decadent deserts on the brain. I wanted to make something special for the family and incorporate some of their favorites. So, here is a Sweetheart Whoopie Pie for MY sweethearts!
I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted to create but there were a few things I needed to pick up. So as I was strolling the aisles of ALDI (I LOVE, love, love their prices on produce. They have great prices on lot of things, but no one can beat their produce prices), picking up the fresh berries I needed I happened to spot this cute heart shaped pan and knew it would make my dish perfect!
Ingredients:
1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet Cake
6 T butter
2 eggs
1 C powdered sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
Preheat the oven to 375°. Melt the butter and set aside to cool. In a large bowl, mix together the cooled butter, cake mix and eggs.
Drop one large spoonful into each muffin tin or onto a cookie sheet.
Bake for 9-10 minutes. Don’t overbake!!
While they are cooling, let’s make some filling. Now, I am going to give you the recipe for a regular batch of filling, but me, I double it. Yep, I like to make fat Whoopie Pies, and I like to dip the extra berries in the filling, ok… I like to just eat the filling.
We went 6 weeks ago and he had the best time with a groomer name Jessie. She was fabulous with him and he came home looking and smelling great. It was his birthday when he went, and she pampered him like every pooch turning one should be pampered. And I guess we got spoiled by her. This is how he came home looking:
He was so handsome. And he was so proud of how he looked.
Then today, we learned a big lesson the hard way. I had asked that Jessie cut him when I made the appointment for today. As we arrived she was there waiting on him…or so I thought. She checked him in, told me she would give me a call in a few hours when he was ready and wisked him away to the back for his day of pampering.
As I arrived back about 2 and a half hours later, there was Chuka in the grooming station being cut by someone else. I had high hopes that he would come out all handsome as before but when she was finally finished, this is what he looked like:
I knew he didn’t really look right, but was having a hard time putting my finger on exactly why it was such a bad haircut. It is choppy for one thing.
Another is that part of it flops. It is just a REALLY bad haircut! So disappointed, especially for what we pay.
As I was talking to a friend of mine about it she said “OMG, why did they cut him like a Schnauzer?”
And well, that is it…he is a Yorkie with a Schnauzer haircut.
He looks like a little old man now.
And every time one of us looks at him he just hangs his head.
Even he knows he has a bad haircut.
So, the lesson for the day is this: MAKE SURE you ask around about groomers. Make sure that the person you pick to cut your dog is the one who actually does the job. And if you go to Petco, make sure to pop in to double check.
I did call the manager, and he offered to let me bring Chuka back in about a week to see if it can be fixed but I don’t think it will grow out enough by then to help much. And if not, I can possibly get a refund. That makes yet ANOTHER trip to Dalton, 30 minutes away to see if we can get this dog looking normal again.
There is a controversy amongst us. I am hearing and seeing lots of people debate about it. Some folks even have a hissy fit over it. What am I talking about? The Holidays. Mainly what I hear is that we should celebrate Thanksgiving before we start putting all the Christmas stuff out. That we forget about Thanksgiving.
Well, I have an opinion about this. And I wanted to take a moment to share it.
I love all holidays. Seriously. I love the air of excitement that comes with each and every one of them. And (GASP) some I celebrate year round. Yep, I do. I try to have a thankful heart all the time. Not just on a Thursday in November. I give thanks each and every day for the freedoms and liberties that this country affords me. I give thanks each and every day to wake up alive and well. I give thanks each and every day for my family and friends.
Sometimes I do put up my Christmas decorations a little early. And sometimes I even take them down a little later than some folks think I should. But I love Christmas. I love the air of wonder and hope that comes with it. I mean we all need hope. The daily grind can get over-whelming at times and I am so THANKFUL that my Lord and Savior sent his only Son that I might have everlasting life. And Hope. And faith that it will all be ok in the end. So, if I want to celebrate a little longer and it over laps with another holiday or two…well, I think that is ok. And if you celebrate something different from me, that is ok too.
I also celebrate Valentine’s Day year round. I tell my husband every day that I love him. EVERY day. Not just on February 14th. I celebrate our life together on a regular basis. I wash his clothes, not because I have to…he is very capable of doing that himself…but because I like to make his life easier. I cook for him on an almost daily basis. I want him to have a hot meal after working all day. I even sometime make or buy him a treat, not because it is February 14th but because I love him and I want him to know it all the time.
Add Easter to that list I celebrate every day too. I am beyond THANKFUL that the Son rose again and emerged to give me even more Hope and Faith.
And Independence day…gosh, I love the liberties that I have from that. I may not have the same religion as you but because of July the 4th we can each practice that religion freely. As we each and everyone see fit. I may not share the same political views as you do either, but because of our Independence we can all vote according to our own beliefs. I love that we are all able to voice our own opinions, as we see appropriate.
Our views on many things in life may not be the same, but that is what makes us a melting pot, we all bring our views and beliefs to the table of life and whether or not we view and celebrate things the same way we can at least take a moment to celebrate and live as we each choose. So, I guess what I am saying is this…
…if someone is celebrating earlier than you think is appropriate, perhaps you should join them. Or celebrate in your own way. We don’t have to condemn people that don’t live as we do to the medication carts. We each and everyone are entitled to live, work, celebrate and rejoice as we choose. That includes YOU! And that folks is what makes this a great country to live in. Because really, everyday should be a holiday.
June. The month for Dad’s. I have always loved Father’s Day. My Dad was a pretty special guy. He would literally give you the shirt off of his back and did so many times. I remember once he was driving down the road and came across a young couple with several young children. He stopped, got out of the car and proceeded to talk to them for several minutes. It was a hot summer day and he just couldn’t imagine them walking any further in the heat than they already had. Turns out the father had lost his job, they had lost their home, their car and everything else they had. They were hitch-hiking to get to Florida where they had family. I can’t remember where they were coming from, but I do remember that it was a long way…they had no other options. My dad took all the money he had and bought them food and bus tickets so that they wouldn’t have to hitch-hike any further and could eat. He didn’t know those people, he was just that compassionate.
My Dad passed away 10 years ago and is greatly missed. I can still remember the way he smelled. That’s the thing about Dad’s, I think their children will always remember the way they smelled as they held them tight and helped them grow into the people they become also making sure they stay safe. The office I work in everyday was my Dad’s, along with the desk that I sit at. Sometimes if I turn my head just right I can get a whiff of him. It is a comfort to my soul. Just like my Dad was comfortable with who he was as a person.
My kids will always remember their Dad smelling of Dove Men + Care. Bric loves Dove Men + Care because it isn’t harsh on his skin, rinses clean and I love it because it leaves his skin soft and smelling great.
●New Dove Men + Care, from the #1 dermatologist recommended brand Dove, is built on the brand’s heritage in cleansing, moisturizing and care.
●The new Dove Men + Care Sensitive Clean Body and Face Wash clinically fights dryness better than regular men’s body washes* and is formulated specifically for men who prefer a mild, unscented body and face wash.
●The newDove Men + Care Deodorants and Antiperspirants are formulated to provide advanced 48 hour protection, so they’re tough on sweat, not on skin.
Dove Men + Care has a new series of videos chronicling their “Journey to Comfort” featuring Stewart Cink and Davis Love in their journey:
In addition to the amazing “Journey to Comfort” videos, Dove® Men + Care™ has also set up a brand new Twitter handle, which you can find here where you can participate for a chance to WIN* daily prizing, including memorabilia signed by Cink and Love, in addition to other golf-related gear. Additionally, definitely check out the Tournament to Comfort* game here to play for a chance to WIN amazing prizing, including the opportunity to meet Stewart Cink, a session with Cink’s swing coach, a set of custom clubs and finally, a trip to the 2012 tour championship!
*No purchase necessary. Open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. & D.C., 18 & older. Begins 12:00 p.m. ET on 4/6/11 & ends 12:00 p.m. ET on 6/20/11. Void where prohibited. Go to DoveMenCare.com for Official Rules.
