Start Today or It Won't Ever Happen

Everyone has posted what they are thankful for and the picture above is one of my great thanks. If you haven't met this group of gals, you are missing out on a blessing. They have been friends since elementary school and upon graduation from high school, they made a vow to stay close. For those of you that have been out of school for a few years or more, you know how hard it is to stay close to those friends you had in school. Friends from school move, start new lives and new families and become busy and old friends seem to take second place. And, that is understandable, but this group, known as the Fab Five, have kept their vow and have stayed very close. I am thankful for that.
There is another reason I am so thankful for them and that is really what prompted this blog - they all lead successful lives. It has come to my attention in the past few months how lives can change and women can be left on their own to support themselves. My 81 year old mother who never worked outside the home, always taught me that you need to have a career to fall back on. You never know when your life's road may take a detour and you are left to make a living for yourself. Girl's.......get an education and/or a career that trains you in something where if you are left to support yourself, you can. I will never regret quitting my job to be a stay at home mom when Whitney was born and I think if you can afford to do that, it is a blessing, but after she got started in school, the Lord blessed me with a job where I could stay at home and work and earn a great living. It started slowly and blossomed into a career where I could support myself should I ever have to. Besides the money, it is rewarding to feel you have accomplished something in your life. So, if you are out there and lack direction in your life, think about what you love to do or would love to learn to do and take a baby step toward accomplishing that goal. Start maybe by taking a class in a local college. You can do it! I have faith in you and you should too! You don't have to accomplish this overnight, but if you don't start today working on it, you will never get there.
Thanks Fab Five for the inspiration you are to those of us who know you. I love you all.
Have a Blessed day!

Spero's Dressing Recipe

I know you are either too young to remember or never even heard of Spero's Restaurant in Texarkana, Ar, but they had a salad dressing to die for. Gary would go there just to put the dressing on Captain's Wafers and eat that until he ran out of crackers in the little plastic baskets. Who cared what food they served! He wanted the appetizer! ha Today I opened the Texarkana Gazette to see the Holiday Cookbook (a yearly thing they publish right before the holidays). The first recipe I see is for Spero's Dressing! That perked my day up! The restaurant has long closed so I guess now the recipe can be shared. It is very close to our favorite dressing at Park Place Restaurant. I thought I would share it with you. Beware tho - if you make it and start eating it with captain's wafer crackers, it is VERY addicting. Who cares about using it on a salad! That might be too nutritious! ha



Spero's Dressing

1 large jar of mayonnaise

1 small onion

2 boiled eggs

1 T paprika

1 T garlic powder



Place all ingredients in a blender and puree to desired consistency.

Now, does anyone have Park Place Restaurant's salad dressing recipe! ha
Have a Blessed day!

Popcorn and Christmas

Doesn't this popcorn look yummy! I can just smell it popping right now. I thought I would share something I did the first Christmas Gary and I were together, which means this Christmas will be 30 years ago that this happened. You see, Gary and I got married on January 3, 1980 so our first Christmas tree together was right before our wedding. We had bought our first house on Elizabeth Street in Texarkana, Texas and had moved in our things about a month before we got married. I remember sitting on our dark brown leather batchelor pad sofa and making a real mess that turned out to look like this.......

I sat there stringing popcorn for several nights. You use a strong thread...maybe a couple of strands doubled and knotted. The real hint is.......after Christmas is over......store it in a ziploc bag in the freezer. It is still as white as 30 years ago!!! I must admit I haven't used it for 6 years...since I had my tree professionally decorated, but I still have the popcorn in the freezer. (For those of you that don't know me really well and haven't been to see my house, I have a Christmas closet. My tree is mounted on a frame with rollers and I roll my fully decorated tree in and out of the Christmas closet. No more stringing lights and hanging ornaments. People that know my house and show it to others at parties and showers always open that closet to show it off. :) This was a must when I designed our house.) Anyway, if you like the old fashion tree and thought stringing real popcorn takes too long to use for just one year, now you know. Go for it! Makes a great memory for years to come.
Have a Blessed day!

Random Bits of Advice

This blog will be random pieces of advice from "Mom". It is actually advice in reverse of what I was thinking about doing since the pictures loaded in reverse of how I wanted them. Oh well, just be glad I have some pictures - period! This first picture is something I think every bride should have and more importantly, every bride should use! I got mine for a wedding gift 29, almost 30, years ago. It was one of the most expensive gifts I received. I always loved baking desserts so I have used it so many times. I believe in having pretty things and using them. Don't store your beautiful serving pieces for special occasions. Use them in your normal, everyday life. And while I am on this picture - LEARN TO MAKE A THREE LAYER CAKE WITH ICING ALL OVER! Believe me, the first ones won't be beautiful and even today some of mine fall in the middle or look flat, but everyone loves a homemade cake served on a pedestal cake plate. You might surprise yourself and your hubby! Go for it!! The next picture is my new favorite storage container. It's for cereal and came from Bed, Bath and Beyond, but you can but them anywhere now. This one happens to be $9.99 and holds a large box of cereal. You can see through it so you know when you need to buy more and it has an idention for easy handling. The snap top lids are what I like the best. I have several sizes for storage. They really are easy to use.

This last picture is one I took while Whitney was returning some unused tile in Little Rock last weekend. I decided to wait in the car and saw this beautiful scene so I took a picture. I love fall and the beautiful colors that comes with it. The reason I am including this though is because November and February are the months that it is safe to prune your trees (if you have some.) That is when the sap is rising and falling. If you know me, you know I am not a big yard person, other than riding on the tractor to mow, but this is something I have heard all my life. So, if you have those low limbs that bother you when you mow, now is the time to do something about them.

Now those were some really random bits of knowledge! ha You never know where my brain might take you. Hope you can learn a little bit from each blog. It might not be something you use today, but maybe one day it will come in handy.

Have a Blessed day!

Value of Herbs

The following was taken from the Sprout's Juice Bar weekly newsletter. If you would like to receive this newsletter, you can email them at sproutsjuicebar@gmail.com. I thought the list of what herbs do for you was interesting.
Have a Blessed Day!

Food is one of nature's most powerful medicines and herbs and spices provide many healing and nutritional benefits. The following is a list of common kitchen herbs that most of us have on our shelves and the health benefits they provide.

Basil - Calms the nerves, helps coughs, colds, flu and allergies.

Black Pepper - Helps stomach-aches, nausea and constipation, stimulates circulation and digestion.

Cardamom - Reduces gas and bloating, relieves headaches caused by indigestion.

Cayenne - Antibacterial, rids colds and flu, dissolves mucus and congestion.

Cinnamon - Antibacterial, strengthens digestion, increases warmth and circulation.

Coriander - Relieves intestinal cramps and spasms, helps with anxiety and nervous tension.

Cumin - Relieves coughs, supports digestion, helps with insomnia.

Dill - Relives cramps and gas, calms an upset stomach.

Fennel - Stimulates digestion, calms the nerves, stimulates flow of breastmilk.

Ginger - Helps with colds, flu, coughs, relieves nausea.

Parsley - Rich source of Vitamins A & C, antioxidant, reduces premenstral bloating.

Peppermint - Rids colds and flu, promotes digestion, cooling for hot days.

Rosemary - Promotes circulation, headache relief, calming to the nervous system.

Sage - Helps with coughs and sore throats, rich in calcium.

Thyme - Heals sinus & throat infections, antiviral, antibacterial.

Kitty Litter Cake

This recipe came to me through a recipe exchange from one of Gary's mother's cousins. She is a lot of fun and an excellent cook. I am wondering who will be brave and be the first one to make this. If you do, please send a report on your blog or to me at least and let us know what kind of fun you had with it!

Kitty Litter Cake


CAKE INGREDIENTS:
1 box spice or German chocolate cake mix
1 box of white cake mix
1 package white sandwich cookies
1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix
A few drops green food coloring
12 small Tootsie Rolls or equivalent

SERVING "DISHES AND UTENSILS"
1 NEW cat-litter box
1 NEW cat-litter box liner
1 NEW pooper scooper

1) Prepare and bake cake mixes, according to directions, in any size pan. Prepare pudding and chill. Crumble cookies in small batches in blender or food processor. Add a few drops of green food coloring to 1 cup of cookie crumbs. Mix with a fork or shake in a jar. Set aside.

2) When cakes are at room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with half of the remaining cookie crumbs and enough pudding to make the mixture moist but not soggy. Place liner in litter box and pour in mixture.

3) Unwrap 3 Tootsie Rolls and heat in a microwave until soft and pliable. Shapethe blunt ends into slightly curved points. Repeat with three more rolls. Bury the rolls decoratively in the cake mixture. Sprinkle remaining white cookie crumbs over the mixture, then scatter green crumbs lightly over top.

4) Heat 5 more Tootsie Rolls until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with crumbs from the litter box. Heat the remaining Tootsie Roll until pliable and hang it over the edge of the box. Place box on a sheet of newspaper and serve with scooper. Enjoy!