tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13999257773321185032024-03-13T23:45:27.072-04:00Just Keep Talkin'Everyday thoughts about travel, kids, recipes, and the life of me, Melissa, a (mostly) SAHM in NC. When all else fails, just keep talkin'!Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-22807779977854208142021-07-05T13:43:00.001-04:002021-07-05T13:43:48.041-04:00<p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Cold Oven Lemon Rum Pound Cake</span></b></p><p>Hi Readers! Long time no talk!</p><p>I made a lemon rum pound cake since I have the day off today and had time to do it!</p><p>The recipe is a little involved so it will be easier to type it all out here.</p><p><br /></p><p>1/2 c. butter, softened</p><p>1/2 c. Crisco</p><p>3 c. sugar</p><p>6 eggs</p><p>3 c. cake flour, like Swan's Down</p><p>1 c. milk</p><p>1/2 tsp. vanilla extract</p><p>1/2 tsp. lemon extract</p><p>1/2 tsp. rum extract</p><p><br /></p><p>Grease and flour a 10" tube pan. Cream together butter, Crisco, and sugar. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add to butter/sugar mixture, beating well. Alternate flour and milk to creamed mixture, starting and ending with flour. Add the 3 flavorings, beating and blending well. Put in a 10" tube pan. Place in cold oven and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Check for doneness as it bakes. Let cool then invert onto a cake plate. Add the glaze of your choice, I like this one:</p><p>Sundrop Glaze</p><p>2 cups powdered sugar</p><p>2 tbl. butter, melted</p><p>2 tbl. Sundrop</p><p>Whisk all in a bowl until smooth, spread over cake.</p><p><br /></p><p>Notes: this made A LOT of batter! I had an overflow mishap since I made it in my Bundt pan. Lesson learned-use the 10" tube pan!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-31504011039944709142019-02-10T12:27:00.001-05:002019-02-17T11:31:55.247-05:00YogurtAt Thanksgiving, Tim's cousin Marc was singing the praises of the instant pot pressure cooker he had. He was a great salesman since the next day Tim and I checked prices at Walmart and I ended up ordering the Crock Pot 6 qt. Express Multi-Cooker on a Black Friday super sale.
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There is a learning curve to using the pressure cooker and after some trial and error, I really like using it! The best part is being able to toss in frozen meat and coming out with a great meal!<br />
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I've made:<br />
Mac and cheese<br />
Hard boiled eggs<br />
Iced tea (which turned out bitter, even after two tries)<br />
Chicken drumsticks from frozen<br />
Chicken breasts from frozen<br />
Chicken taco soup<br />
Sweet potatoes<br />
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I'm on a Facebook group for Crock-Pot Express users and I saw so many people making yogurt. I decided to jump on the bandwagon since Anna and I like yogurt. I whipped up a batch and here is what I did, complete with bullet points and tips:<br />
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Yogurt in the Instant Pot<br />
Cold start, no-boil method<br />
1 1.5 L bottle of ultra-pasteurized milk, usually Fairlife or any organic milk<br />
2 heaping tablespoons of yogurt with live, active cultures<br />
1 can of sweetened condensed milk<br />
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Tips and notes:<br />
*1 1.5L bottle of Fairlife ultra-pasteurized, ultra-filtered milk
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This can be whole milk (red bottle) for the thickest and creamiest yogurt, or you can use 2% Fairlife, or skim Fairlife.</div>
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Fairlife is the go-to milk to use for yogurt making since it is also ultra-filtered.</div>
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Yes, you can use other ultra-pasteurized milk besides the Fairlife brand, since it is pricey. Good news! Most organic milk is ultra-pasteurized. You can use whole, 2%, or skim.</div>
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If you use regular plain milk that is not ultra-pasteurized, you have to boil it then cool it and #ain'tnobodygottimefodat. This cold-start method is low maintenance and easy.</div>
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*2 heaping TBL yogurt with live, active cultures.</div>
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I used Fage total 2% plain yogurt.<br />
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I've seen others use the Oui brand and also Chobani.</div>
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You can use whole milk yogurt, 2% yogurt, skim yogurt, etc. but it has to have live, active cultures. It will be stated on the container. </div>
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Flavored is ok to use, you won't really taste the flavor in it.</div>
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*1 can sweetened condensed milk to add sweetness.</div>
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The finished yogurt didn't turn out overly sweet with this added.</div>
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In your instant pot, put in the whole container of milk, the yogurt, and the sweetened condensed milk. Whisk everything together. Place two layers of paper towels or a clean dish towel over the top of the pot then put your lid on. I have a glass lid that I used and you can use a dinner plate too. The paper towels absorb the moisture. Press the yogurt setting and put the lid on, over the paper towels or dish cloth. Let it cook for 8 hours or more. The longer you let it cook, the more tart it will be. The default time on the Yogurt setting is 8 hours.<br />
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I let mine go for 9 1/2 hours. I set it before I went to bed and let it cook all night. The pot gets warm, similar to a slow cooker, and it doesn't pressurize.</div>
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When the cook time finishes, turn off the pot, let the batch cool slightly, then put a sheet of aluminum foil over the top. Place in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Don't stir the mixture if you want to keep it thick and smooth. I could stand a spoon in the mixture once it had set for about 5 hours!</div>
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If you want it Greek style, you can strain the whey through some cheesecloth or coffee filters over a bowl for really thick yogurt. My yogurt batch didn't have much whey so I put it in a container and dug in! So good!</div>
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I found a ton of great recipes on Pinterest since the instruction booklet that came with the cooker was kind of lame. <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/melissa_b_smith/insta-pot/" target="_blank">Click here</a> to see my Pinterest board!
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I really want to try making cheesecake next! I'll use the Cheesecake #17 recipe as found here:
<a href="https://www.pressurecookrecipes.com/instant-pot-cheesecake-new-york/" target="_blank">Cheesecake #17</a>
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Thanks for reading! Let me know if you try making yogurt and how it turns out!<br />
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Until next time,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-79448410953597721472018-09-03T19:53:00.000-04:002018-09-03T19:53:15.317-04:00Cookies & Cream Ice Cream CakeHappy Labor Day and Happy Birthday Tim!<br />
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We had lunch with Tim's Mom yesterday and we celebrated his birthday. I made him a <a href="http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2016/01/easy-cookies-n-cream-ice-cream-cake.html" target="_blank">cookies & cream</a> ice cream cake that was the perfect size for the 5 of us. We ate half of it so it will feed 10 people.<br />
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It turned out great and was so easy to make!<br />
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You need a 6" spring form pan, I got mine at Wal-Mart.<br />
1 tub of cookies and cream ice cream, I used the Aldi brand that was 1.5 quarts and I had a little left over<br />
24 Oreo cookies (again, Aldi brand)<br />
3 tbl. butter, melted<br />
Can of whipped cream for garnish<br />
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Set out ice cream for about 20-30 minutes so it is softer and easier to spread. Meanwhile, crush up your cookies using a food processor or put in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin, mallet, etc.<br />
Melt the butter. Put crushed cookies and butter in a bowl and mix well. Press on the bottom and sides of pan. Scoop ice cream into pan and cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 4-6 hours.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH4GJz5mudYkui-vwfg-3Z-_pT3qQdJoA-kUqCosrvsVluQb_tOJUE5W_2ZcArcSna15rYZrswl6QEiLBUKv8_6AjdevJjFoMNSp-nfsSgwAv15ftqXNe28eqgZdWdbykfxtYkiinLt0/s1600/ice+cream+cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="763" data-original-width="1017" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJH4GJz5mudYkui-vwfg-3Z-_pT3qQdJoA-kUqCosrvsVluQb_tOJUE5W_2ZcArcSna15rYZrswl6QEiLBUKv8_6AjdevJjFoMNSp-nfsSgwAv15ftqXNe28eqgZdWdbykfxtYkiinLt0/s200/ice+cream+cake.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ta-Da! Happy Birthday Tim!</td></tr>
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When you are ready to serve the cake, pop the cake out of the pan and decorate with whipped cream around the sides and in the center. I only put whipped cream in the center and added a cookie for fun.<br />
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I just checked-we have no less than *9* containers of ice cream in our freezer! We are keeping the ice cream makers in business over here!<br />
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Have a wonderful week and we'll catch you next time!<br />
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Melissa<br />
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<br />Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-67871338550240505312018-09-02T11:28:00.001-04:002018-09-02T11:28:15.546-04:00Coffee Ice Cream<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Sq3gOhsuQuGF-2Mr8rK4-zlcYHuuT5iMhl3KduFXGaQ-hW0pNyvDtULN6vHboZXBGFMTF6PqYk_6O0viW0IcNndjIZHGPovddTJlrjvoQA4QKqycFVDKRjkyR-0YdvJKKq-StXGxkHk/s1600/Labor+Day+weekend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Sq3gOhsuQuGF-2Mr8rK4-zlcYHuuT5iMhl3KduFXGaQ-hW0pNyvDtULN6vHboZXBGFMTF6PqYk_6O0viW0IcNndjIZHGPovddTJlrjvoQA4QKqycFVDKRjkyR-0YdvJKKq-StXGxkHk/s200/Labor+Day+weekend.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Hey faithful readers! Happy Labor Day weekend!<br />
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We have a big weekend planned since it is Tim's birthday tomorrow. What are we doing? Tim says "working" LOL! There is a big tax deadline looming on September 15th so we are celebrating his birthday this weekend instead of tomorrow. We celebrated last night and went out to dinner and shopping while Mom kept the Munchkins. Thanks Mom!<br />
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Tim loves ice cream-and who doesn't? I've made two great ice cream desserts and have a review of some Halo Top ice cream that Anna and I tried so it will be Ice Cream Week here on the Just Keep Talkin' blog.<br />
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First up for the over 21 crowd is no churn <a href="https://food52.com/recipes/30285-nigella-lawson-s-one-step-no-churn-coffee-ice-cream" target="_blank">coffee ice cream</a> by Nigella Lawson. RUN, do not walk, to your grocery store or sit down and order the espresso powder and make this. It is AMAZING!! I stumbled across this recipe while Google-ing "what do I do with leftover sweetened condensed milk". The recipe calls for 4 ingredients and surprisingly, I had all 4 on hand! That never happens. I made up a batch yesterday and it is like heaven on a spoon.<br />
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You need:<br />
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2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk<br />
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, cold<br />
2 tbl. espresso powder<br />
2 tbl. Kahlua or Kapali coffee liqueur<br />
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About the espresso powder-this is very finely ground (more fine than instant espresso coffee) espresso used in baking. Instant espresso coffee would be a little gritty. I got mine, as seen on the left, on a super sale from <a href="https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/espresso-powder/" target="_blank">Williams Sonoma</a> this spring. Through Labor Day, they are offering 20% off and free shipping. <a href="https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/espresso-powder-3-oz?gclid=Cj0KCQjwlK7cBRCnARIsAJiE3MixiCwtm-cPYCfURZCSTw4n81th6BCSg9WmFBkbtIV8Rv_tUc6iJJEaAtoNEALw_wcB" target="_blank">King Arthur Flour</a> offers the espresso powder too. 'Round here, you might try Publix or Harris-Teeter, or a fancy-schmancy grocery store like Whole Foods, The Fresh Market, etc. I doubt the local Wal-Mart would have it.<br />
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So to make the ice cream, pour the sweetened condensed milk in a bowl and add the heavy whipping cream. Whisk or use an electric mixer to blend. Add the espresso powder and liqueur and mix. Pour into a container and freeze. The alcohol keeps it from freezing into a solid brick you can't scoop into, plus the alcohol taste is slight. The ice cream has a really creamy and smooth texture.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U1yx6OUSrbXI1SR5n-0WqWGECyYBd9t2B0AtV55sV1xL6noXyW0KLI1xYhwZPeiN0-GnW81d8G_frfo4HEoPV5Qts3qRxiXhtURL7Ph62_qkEYBrLtqcUbbZSjmoOLjzNrjFclMLlZQ/s1600/101_2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6U1yx6OUSrbXI1SR5n-0WqWGECyYBd9t2B0AtV55sV1xL6noXyW0KLI1xYhwZPeiN0-GnW81d8G_frfo4HEoPV5Qts3qRxiXhtURL7Ph62_qkEYBrLtqcUbbZSjmoOLjzNrjFclMLlZQ/s200/101_2934.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Excuse the janky photo but here is<br />what the finished product looks like!</td></tr>
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I found variations on Nigella's website <a href="https://www.nigella.com/recipes/no-churn-ice-creams" target="_blank">here</a> and will be making some of these soon. The banana/coffee/coconut sounds interesting, I may try that version next.<br />
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Stay tuned for a cookies and cream ice cream cake recipe, made in a 6" springform pan. It's freezing as we speak, I hope to serve it at lunch today as Tim's birthday cake.<br />
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Have a great weekend!<br />
Until next time,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-32573918630692537372018-02-18T11:42:00.001-05:002018-02-20T10:46:48.939-05:00Life Lately + Cheesecake!Well hey there strangers, how's it going? Here is what has been going on in our life since Thanksgiving.<br />
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Christmas was great, we had a wonderful time with our families, and the days we had off from work/school were enough to recharge us and hit the ground running in 2018!<br />
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We had a bump in the road over Christmas break, Camden had 2 episodes of seizures out of the blue. After tests were run, he doesn't have any underlying medical conditions and his medicine seems to be helping. So thank you Lord for answered prayers and let's hope no more seizures happen.<br />
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(Not a paid advertisement) Camden also has psoriasis, mostly on his scalp and back, but it was starting to spread to his face. My niece Olivia recommended African black soap. We have tried so many creams, ointments, lotions, and steroid medicines over the years that didn't really work and we were about at our wit's end in trying to battle this. I found <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shea-Moisture-African-Black-Soap-Eczema-Psoriasis-Therapy-Medicated-Cleansing-Bar-5-0-OZ/43841602?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&wl13=1209&adid=22222222227032264984&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=61530131792&wl4=pla-125616245552&wl5=9009928&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=local&wl12=43841602&wl13=1209&veh=sem" target="_blank">the soap</a> at Wal-Mart last week and it has really helped! Best $3.46 I ever spent! So if you are in Wal-Mart, it is not stocked with the regular soap (of course not, nothing is ever where you would think it would be in our Wal-Mart) but in the cosmetics and skin care section, near the Burt's Bees products. Thanks for the rec Olivia!<br />
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Anna turned 16 in January and though she doesn't have her license yet (we aren't looking forward to the giant hike in insurance premiums and she needs more practice with 3 point turns), she will get it soon. Even though I will be a nervous wreck, it will be nice to have someone else run to the store to grab some milk or she can drive herself to/from school and tennis and I'll be off Mom-Uber duties.<br />
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I can't believe it's already time to start registering for 11th grade classes for next year! We went to a meeting last week about taking college classes in high school for college credit (for free! I'm all about free) and Anna will be taking advantage of that. It takes some planning to see if the classes offered will transfer to the college you want to go to and also do you need the class for your intended major. Anna wants to be a dietician and the only math she needs for that course of study in college is statistics. Statistics isn't offered through this community college program for high school students, pre-calculus algebra is. So if she took pre-calc algebra, it would count as a math elective in college and she would still have to take statistics! Anna wants to take as few math classes as possible so she'll stick with AP statistics class in high school and hope she passes the AP test and won't have to take math in college. She enjoys planning for the future, she's the polar opposite of a procrastinator, which is good. I'm surprised she doesn't have a white board in her room with her 10-year plan on it.<br />
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Next up: for Valentine's Day, I made a simple cheesecake, not one that needed to be put in a fiddly water bath or that called for a lot of esoteric ingredients. I have a 9" spring form pan but I didn't want to be eating cheesecake for 2 weeks. I bought a <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wilton-Excelle-Elite-Springform-Pan-6/20419295" target="_blank">6" springform pan</a> from Walmart.com and I really like it! It's the perfect size for small desserts, next I'm going to make an <a href="http://www.thecomfortofcooking.com/2016/01/easy-cookies-n-cream-ice-cream-cake.html" target="_blank">ice cream cake</a>.<br />
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Since I needed a recipe using a 6" pan, a-Google-ing I went and I found a recipe on <a href="http://urbanbohemian.com/2015/03/12/recipe-mini-cheesecake/" target="_blank">Urban Bohemian.com</a>. Only 7 ingredients (I threw in some chocolate chips) and it was easy! I didn't have to reduce down a 9" pan recipe and this one turned out perfect and so, SO good! Here's a photo, I'm not a food photographer and I don't use Photoshop to make my photos look better so this unfiltered photo is the real deal:<br />
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That about sums it all up!<br />
Have a wonderful weekend everybody, enjoy this nice weather while it lasts.<br />
Until next time,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-33579057722781066652017-11-21T20:19:00.001-05:002017-11-21T20:19:17.720-05:00Thanksgiving Decor by Melissa and SandyHappy Thanksgiving readers! How's it going?<br />
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We are on the countdown to Thanksgiving, the kids are out of school for the week and I'm working tomorrow then it is eating/shopping/resting before we dive into Christmas!<br />
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I usually don't decorate too much for Fall but I got a wild hair and decided to step it up this year. Mom always decorates for fall-her fall decor is on point, unlike my feeble attempt to decorate!<br />
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So before all this comes down this weekend and Christmas goes up, here is my decor:<br />
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I discovered a photo collage maker, kizoa.com, and it's really cool. I'm still learning (obviously) but I thought it showcased my photos well. Clockwise from left to right: one side of my mantle, the other side of my mantel, my fall flag, and a fake pumpkin and mum. I bought real pumpkins too and set those by the front door. I didn't carve them, I left them au naturel.<br />
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Here is Mom's decor:<br />
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Clockwise from left to right: Her front table by the picture window, the kitchen window, the front door, the dining room table, and a floral arrangement in the den. Just beautiful!</div>
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I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember we have so, so much to be thankful for! A roof over our heads, a pantry/fridge full of food, and family and friends who love us.</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Melissa</div>
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Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-25238645524075261232017-10-28T22:13:00.001-04:002017-10-30T08:20:54.469-04:00Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey Readers! Happy Saturday!<br />
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As promised, here is the recipe and recap of my latest adventures in baking, a caramel brown sugar pound cake.<br />
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A friend of ours made this and brought us a few pieces. It was SO GOOD and I asked her for the recipe. Thanks Jennifer! This cake was the bomb!<br />
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Caramel Brown Sugar Pound Cake<br />
2 sticks margarine<br />
1/2 c. vegetable shortening<br />
1 (1 lb.) box light brown sugar<br />
1 c. sugar<br />
5 large eggs<br />
3 c. plain flour<br />
1 tsp. baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp. salt<br />
1 c. milk<br />
1 tsp. vanilla<br />
1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts<br />
1 tsp. butternut flavoring (optional, this was hard to find so I skipped it)<br />
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Preheat over to 325. Cream margarine and shortening with sugar until light; add eggs one at a time. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt), add alternately to batter with milk, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Add vanilla and nuts. Spoon into a greased and floured 10 inch tube pan (not Bundt/fluted pan, it won't hold all the batter). Bake at 325 for about 1 1/2 hours. Cool. Remove from pan and cover with caramel icing.<br />
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Icing<br />
1 1/2 c. light brown sugar (I used a little less)<br />
1/2 c. margarine<br />
1 1/2 c. confectioners sugar (I used a little less)<br />
1/4 tsp. salt<br />
1/4 c. milk<br />
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Combine brown sugar, margarine and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil, add milk and boil slowly for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Add confectioners sugar and beat until thick enough to spread.<br />
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I made one batch of icing and it slid off the sides (what?) of the cake. So thanks to Google, I found out I had too much sugar in the icing. I patched the icing I had on the top of the cake then I made another batch, but I halved it and backed off a little on the sugars. It was perfect, the icing stayed on the sides this time.<br />
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We ate the cake and immediately went into a diabetic coma (just kidding, it is really sweet though). It was amazingly good. I took it to work and not a crumb was left.<br />
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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Next post: fall decorating.<br />
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Thanks for reading!<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-22963747028324088402017-10-08T15:43:00.001-04:002017-10-08T15:43:25.877-04:00What's Lidl Like?Hey Readers! Happy weekend!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lidl in Gastonia/Grand Opening Day photo cred: Gaston Gazette</td></tr>
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Whenever something new comes to town or close by, we have to check it out! A new Lidl (rhymes with needle) grocery store opened up ten days ago in Gastonia and one in Shelby. Tim and I decided to check out the Gastonia location last weekend and then we went back again yesterday for a Date Night destination. For the curious, here's my impressions about Lidl and these are my opinions only, I wasn't compensated by Lidl.<br />
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So Lidl is a large discount grocery store with the prices about the same as Aldi. They have the weekly specials or "new surprises" including a larger selection of clothing. I noticed Heidi Klum's Esmara brand of clothing there. They also run Super Deals which are deeply discounted prices and Fresh 5 which is discounted produce and meat, with some discounts running for 4 days, and some for 3 days.<br />
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The biggest draw for us was the bakery! Oh my goodness, the pastries! The bread! The vegetable quiches for .99! We got a box of pastries last week and here's what we got this week, clockwise from top left:<br />
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Hazelnut filled croissant, .99 each; cinnamon pinwheels, .59 each; white chocolate macadamia cookies, .59 each; maple pecan braided pastry (this is SO GOOD), .99 each. Not pictured-pretzel rolls, .59 each; Vanilla & chocolate twist pastry, .99 each; apple turnover, .99 each. The bakery selection is about 1/2 pastry, and 1/2 bread. We haven't tried the loaf breads yet but it all looked good. I was eyeing the olive ciabatta bread which also comes in jalapeno.<br />
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I grabbed a box of decaf k-cups last week, those were $4.29 for a box of 12. I'm drinking a cup now after eating 1/2 a maple pecan pastry, and it's really good and strong. They had a good selection of k-cups, most under $4.00. I'm going to try the donut shop blend next. As a special next week, they will have a box of 36 fall flavored k-cups for $9.99. Flavors are pumpkin spice, apple crumb donut, cinnamon roll, and pecan pie flavors. I'm not a fan of pumpkin spice or apple, I'm a peppermint kind of gal so I'm going to hold out for a holiday flavored box.<br />
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The big door buster specials we were wanting to buy were mostly out of stock. Mom sent me with a list to get block cheese for .72, pizza for .99, sweet potatoes for $1.49, and 100 oz. of laundry detergent for $2.64. The only item that was in stock was the sweet potatoes. I noticed there were empty shelves for the door buster specials, including raisin bran for .84 and a sewing supplies box for .99. I'm thinking it's supplier growing pains since Lidl just came to NC and everybody wants to get in on the discount grocery action. The <a href="https://www.lidl.com/specials" target="_blank">specials</a> start on Thursday and run through Wednesday, so I suggest going on Thursday. Hopefully the supplier issues will resolve. They did have lots of items in stock aside from the big specials, and the produce looked really fresh.<br />
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So I grabbed the bag of sweet potatoes and a gallon of milk for Mom (since Camden drank all her milk last night, ha!) for $2.19. I noticed yesterday Aldi dropped their price of milk to $2.17, just saying. Tim got a gallon of chocolate milk for $2.19. We picked up a dozen eggs for .36, a Lean Cuisine Marketplace meal for $2.50 and I pay close to $3.30 for the same thing at Bi Lo. Tortilla chips for .95, avocados for .49 each. We got a bottle of Moscato wine last weekend for $3.99, I believe. It was good, I would definitely buy it again. Picked up another bottle of sweet red wine for $4.99, we haven't tried that yet. Tim bought a big package of St. Louis style ribs last weekend and he seasoned them and we had those for lunch last Sunday. They were GREAT! I wish I could find our receipt from last weekend but it was good deals.<br />
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The store was really clean, despite the throngs of people coming through there. Lots of employees were around, cleaning and putting out stock. There was more than two registers open, which is a gripe of mine about Aldi. The restrooms were clean, even at 8:30 pm on a Saturday night. I thought it was kinda cold in the store, so dress accordingly if you are cold-natured.<br />
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I'm thinking Lidl will give Aldi a run for its money. This store in Gastonia is right down the street from Aldi! At Lidl, you don't have to pay for your grocery cart and they have the little carts and the regular size carts, plus the mini carts with the flags on them for kids to push/run into you with. Like Aldi, paper bags are .07 and you can buy plastic and resuable bags too. Or you can do like us and grab a cardboard box, more sturdy that way. The prices were comparable for some things but really lower on other items. Lidl offers coupons through their app, such as .50 off a bottle of barbeque sauce.<br />
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We want to check out the Shelby store soon and see how that is. Overall, it's a very nice store to be a discount grocery store with much more square footage than Aldi. If I'm ever in Gastonia or Shelby, I'd definitely make a point to drop by but maybe not take a special trip just to go, unless it was a super discount special. Click <a href="http://www.gastongazette.com/news/20170928/lidl-opens-gastonia-location" target="_blank">here</a> for the write-up from the Gaston Gazette with much more information.<br />
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Y'all have a great rest of the weekend, stay dry, and I'm going to see what else I can sample from the pastry box before Anna and Camden get a hold of it :)<br />
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Until next time,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-50228603605334086252017-09-25T20:55:00.000-04:002017-09-25T20:55:42.878-04:00Body Like A BackhoeHey Readers! How's it going? School has started and life is hectic, yet manageable.<br />
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One way I like to unwind after a crazy day is by listening to music. I've been hearing "Body Like a Back Road" by Sam Hunt on the country stations lately. Except I thought he was singing "Body Like a Backhoe" (I have a bad case of Chronic Lyricosis). The lyrics talk about going "15 in a 30, I ain't in no hurry, imma take it slow just as fast as I can." Have you ever been behind a backhoe on a country road? Isn't that what the song is about? Comparing his woman to a backhoe? Uh, no. But I still love the song even though it's about a back ROAD and not a backHOE!<br />
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Have a good laugh at my expense!<br />
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I'll post a recipe next time for a caramel pound cake that I made for Tim's birthday. I will be the size of a backhoe if I don't stop eating sweets, but it was SO GOOD!!<br />
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Y'all have a great week!<br />
Melissa Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-72521391648403438052017-08-09T19:35:00.000-04:002017-08-09T19:35:15.949-04:00My New Red Hot Machine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, I finally pulled the trigger and bought myself a Kitchenaid stand mixer! I follow a wonderful couponing/deals site, <a href="http://www.southernsavers.com/" target="_blank">Southern Savers</a>, and they had this as a featured, one-day only deal with Best Buy last week. It was at an amazing price, almost in the Black Friday Deal price range, so I snapped one up.<br />
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I was stalking ups.com today waiting for it to be delivered. On my lunch hour, I bought some strawberries, heavy whipping cream, and 10X confectioner's sugar at Ingles. I wanted to be prepared to make something with my new toy so after supper tonight, I made homemade whipped cream and served it with the strawberries. So easy! Here's the recipe I used: <a href="http://myfrugaladventures.com/2013/03/how-to-make-homemade-whipped-cream/" target="_blank">Homemade Whipped Cream</a> from myfrugaladventures.com.<br />
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Now to decide what accessories, if any, do I need? Hmmm....maybe a smaller bowl. I'll see how much I use the mixer outside of making things to bake (and I love to bake!) then try to justify getting an accessory, like the pasta maker or spiralizer, which does look pretty cool. How about the <a href="https://www.kitchenaid.com/shop/-[KICA0WH]-400076/KICA0WH/" target="_blank">ice cream maker</a>? That's nifty too.<br />
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I'll keep checking Southern Savers and if they run a super sale on the mixers again, I'll post it on Facebook and on here. I love a great deal!<br />
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Y'all have a great evening, it's kick-off time for the Panthers pre-season game! Go Panthers!<br />
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-MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-45938067235400228302017-08-08T21:23:00.001-04:002017-08-08T21:23:52.998-04:00New Nails!For the first time in my many years of living on this Earth, I have grown out my fingernails! It is such a new experience for me to have long nails and get manicures! I have gotten all of two manicures in the past month and many people have commented on how my nails look and if they are real. Yes they are real and they are spectacular, ha!<br />
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My supervisor had an American manicure and I liked how it looked. An American manicure is a white tip, not chalk white, but still white, with clear top coat and a rounded shape. The French manicure is more bright white tip, cut straight across, with light pink top coat. For my birthday present to myself, I got a gel American manicure and I loved it! I used Funny Bunny by Essie for the tips. My nails grew so much and aren't breaking. It lasted for 3 weeks and then it was time for a change.<br />
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The next time I went with a color and I picked a hot pink color, "Mad for Madness Sake" by OPI. I love it! It's a gel polish and it looks great. I even bought the lacquer version for my toenails. Here's a photo, and I'm not a hand model obviously! This is with 2 weeks of wear and it's my natural nails.<br />
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I think I will go back to an American manicure this next time, maybe not do a gel polish, just a regular polish. With a gel polish, you have to put your hands under a UV light so the polish will set. The polish is very durable. You also can't take off the polish with regular fingernail polish (ask me how I know). You have to go back to the nail salon and soak off the polish. Sneaky way for the salon to get you coming in every 3 weeks for a polish change!<br />
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One of these days I'm going to spring for a pedicure, my feet got all beat up when we would walk down the beach on vacation a few weeks ago.<br />
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Readers, have a great week! More blog posts to come later this week!<br />
<br />Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-56766994224433051932017-07-29T13:40:00.002-04:002017-07-29T13:40:42.311-04:006 Foot Tall Women<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Anna is now 15 years old. Time still marches on, whether we like it to or not! Wasn't she just 7? And Monkey Boy 4? More about Monkey Boy Camden in a later post. This is a funny one about Anna.</span><br />
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So one thing about me is that once I am in bed, I like to STAY in bed. Just me, my Amazon Fire Tablet, and choice of social media. I am not a happy person if I have to answer questions, find something that has suddenly gone missing, put Monkey Boy back to bed, etc. </div>
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But as much as I hate getting out of bed, Anna hates getting out of the tub! Here's proof from Monday night.</div>
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So I'm in bed, catching up on everyone else's life online and Anna is in the tub. It's about 10 pm. Anna calls out "Mom....MOM....<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><u>MOM!!!</u></b></span>" Ignoring her doesn't work so I holler back:</div>
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Me-"What is it? Don't wake up Camden by hollering" (oh the irony since I'm hollering too)</div>
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Anna-"Come here!"</div>
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Me-"Just tell me, I don't want to get out of bed!"</div>
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Anna-"It's a question!"</div>
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Me-"Tell me!"</div>
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Anna-"It's a long one, just come here!"</div>
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So I grudgingly get out of bed, thinking this better be a good question! I go in the bathroom and she says.....</div>
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"Have you ever met a 6 foot tall woman?"</div>
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REALLY YOUNGIN'! You got me out of bed for THAT?! As irked as I was, I immediately started laughing from the randomness, which is so typical of Anna.</div>
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Me-"Yes, as matter of fact, I have. There were some really tall women's basketball players that lived in my dorm and one girl was 6 feet tall." </div>
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Anna-"Did you know Taylor Swift is 5 11? There's a photo of her and Ellen and Ellen is really short compared to her!"</div>
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Me-"I bet it was Photoshopped and I bet I'm going back to bed now!"</div>
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We'll tag this one as #lifewithteenagers </div>
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Until next time,</div>
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Melissa</div>
Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-86773434608373952272017-07-29T13:25:00.001-04:002017-07-29T13:25:52.702-04:00Camden and the Carolina PanthersHey everybody! Here's a funny story about Camden.<br />
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Camden is now 12. Even though he is non-verbal, he still communicates his wants and needs. I also believe he can read words since he will point out words on signs, clothing, in the newspaper, packaging, etc. and we say them. He will even match words, one time he pointed out "Scotts Fertilizer" from the Lowe's ad then he pointed to the same words on the Scott's Fertilizer bag on our porch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-Bd8vpWKyUOirjH5HGjxJc03hIju5W0p0CATdooERilmQqNOAjK_Q-wXGPGYdhenWa3RueTiVXeMBSkb1ZIUGNRya9XH89zO7lfUBz28Q-WzK950J8XJGsrvn087tM7vXLzZe2FbbSU/s1600/womens-caorlina-panthers-champion-fleece.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="223" data-original-width="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj-Bd8vpWKyUOirjH5HGjxJc03hIju5W0p0CATdooERilmQqNOAjK_Q-wXGPGYdhenWa3RueTiVXeMBSkb1ZIUGNRya9XH89zO7lfUBz28Q-WzK950J8XJGsrvn087tM7vXLzZe2FbbSU/s1600/womens-caorlina-panthers-champion-fleece.jpg" /></a>Another thing about Camden, he LOVES the Carolina Panthers and when we are hunting for treasures at Goodwill, he will point out the Panthers items, no matter what it's printed on! Case in point-we were at the Goodwill in Cornelius and I was looking through the skirts and he was beside me. He saw a lady and ran up to her. Before I could stop him, he, um, pointed on the letters "Carolina Panthers" across her shirt! Cue the OMG!! moment I had. I just about died! Thank goodness she was understanding about some random child coming up to her, feeling her up basically, and laughing about it! I explained to her Camden had autism and he was non-verbal but he recognizes words of things he likes, one being Carolina Panthers. Gah! I still cringe just thinking about it!</div>
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Until next time!</div>
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Melissa</div>
Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-59991010767513011162017-07-26T21:50:00.001-04:002017-07-26T21:52:47.870-04:00Looking Forward to Looking Back<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">Tap tap...is this thing on?? </span><br />
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After a 2 1/2 year hiatus from blogging, I've decided there are still stories inside of me that I want to tell. I love the Time Hop feature on Facebook and whenever a old blog post comes up of something that happened 8 or 9 years ago, I think about what's going on in my life right now that will pop up in Time Hop 8 or 9 years from now and I'll have the same reaction "Hey! I remember doing that! How much has changed since then!" I guess you could say I'm looking forward to looking back.</div>
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There is that gap of time from when I didn't blog, life got in the way, I moved on from blogging and forums to more short and simple updates on Facebook and Instagram. However, I still miss writing the longer, more in depth musings of a peek inside my life and what's happening. Plus I get to put my Communications and Journalism degree to good use!</div>
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I have so much I want to write about and it's good to get it out in written form. I don't say a lot in person, but writing is my favorite form of expression. That and my facial expressions, I can't hide what my brain is thinking!</div>
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Thanks, readers, all 2 of you (hi Mom and Aunt Caryl), for hanging in there and patiently waiting. I'll get this blog cranked back up and we'll see where life takes us. Hi to all my Facebook friends, 99% of you all are probably like "She has a blog? Who does that any more?" Well, I do. Enjoy reading my past entries and I hope it brings a smile and some insight into our life.</div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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-Melissa</div>
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Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-36114129645298903602015-02-26T17:03:00.000-05:002015-02-26T17:03:08.075-05:00How We Survive Without Cable or Satellite TVHey there readers! We are home on a snow day, it snowed 3 1/2" here last night but it is melting fast. Since we will be back to the grind tomorrow, I've been catching up on my sewing, cleaning, and Facebooking.<br />
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A friend of mine posted a status on FB about finding a new horror show channel on her Roku player. Several people commented and asked about her Roku, not having cable, and what about an antenna for local stations. I gave my .02 worth and thought this would make a good blog post since we have never had cable at our house and it's been close to 16 years now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have this in our attic.</td></tr>
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We live in a suburb of Charlotte so there are many channels to choose from. When tv switched from analog to digital in June of 2009, we tried out a few antennas to see which gave us the best reception. We tried a batwing style, rabbit ears style, and a flat style antenna. The one we currently use is a Phillips HDTV antenna that I bought at Wal-Mart. Tim mounted it up in our attic and we get 30 channels, at least. These are the networks like CBS, NBC, PBS, Fox, ABC, etc. Check out <a href="http://www.antennaweb.org/" target="_blank">Antennaweb.org</a> <span style="font-family: Consolas, 'courier new'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px;">to see what all</span><span style="font-family: Consolas, 'courier new'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px;"> channels </span><span style="font-family: Consolas, 'courier new'; font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px;">you can get. We are lucky that we are close to Charlotte. If you live in the boonies, your reception might not be as good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Consolas, courier new;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px;">As the kids started getting older, they wanted to watch Disney, Nick, ABC Family. We have a Wii and have had a Hulu Plus subscription for about 2 years now. It has met our needs and I have no complaints. We also tried a streaming service called PlayOn where it grabs streaming feeds from the internet and plays through the Wii. Some channels were good, but it was all on-demand and the links to the streams would change and some channels were really choppy. We cancelled our subscription and watched tv via the antenna or binge-watched tv at my parents house or at the in-laws since they both have Dish.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All this for $20!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Consolas, courier new;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px;">Last month, I saw a news article about a new service called Sling TV. It is different from a Slingbox. Anyway, for $20 a month, you can get 20 channels of live tv and they will be adding AMC networks to this core package soon so that's good news for Walking Dead and Mad Men fans. For $5 more, you can add a sports package, kids package, or info package to your service. Here's the listing of what is included in each package <a href="http://www.sling.com/package" target="_blank">right here</a> and scroll down.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Consolas, courier new;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17.25px;">I thought about subscribing when it first came out but the catch was we have a Wii and they don't support their service through the Wii and I don't want to watch tv on Camden's iPad or on a PC.</span></span><br />
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After they launched the service, they announced a pretty sweet deal. If you sign up for 3 months, you got an Amazon Fire TV Stick or Roku Stick for free. Hello, sign me up, get a $40 tv stick for free! They have other deals too like a 7 day free trial or $50 off a set top Amazon Fire TV box or Roku box. I got the Fire TV Stick 2 days ago and I have been really impressed with the service. I also got 1 month of Amazon Prime for free, though I doubt I'll keep that. Anyway, the live channels play really smoothly, they aren't choppy and it buffers very rarely. I've downloaded the History tv app and the A&E app since we like Duck Dynasty. I also downloaded the PBS Kids app since Camden likes PBS Kids shows. Anna has discovered games on there and she is currently playing Crossy Road, lawd help. Once I tear her away from playing Crossy Road, I want to watch classic Sesame Street and Electric Company. Here's the Fire TV Stick <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1002997141" target="_blank">promotion here.</a><br />
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So that's how we watch tv without cable or satellite! Drop me a line if you have any questions about it! Off to watch tv!<br />
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XOXO,<br />
Melissa<br />
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Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for writing this blog. My opinions are my own.Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-48759706536939286052014-12-28T09:53:00.001-05:002014-12-28T16:55:03.657-05:00Christmas Recap-Gifts and RecipesGood morning readers! I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas, we sure did! Now I am getting organized for the new year and putting away a little bit of Christmas decorations at a time, or "de-Christmasing the house" as a friend called it. The day after Christmas I put away our gifts. Yesterday I put away Camden's little tree and the wrapping paper. Today I will put away the mantel decorations. Tomorrow will be the porch decorations. I'll work on the big Christmas tree as time permits. Anna wants to keep her tree up as long as possible so we might still have it up come Valentine's Day!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Source:<br />
Home-storage-solutions-101.com<br />
I'm seriously considering this!</td></tr>
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Looking back on Christmas, I had good feedback on the teacher gifts I had made and I thought the food I brought to the Christmas Eve dinner turned out great, especially since there was none left! That's always a good sign that a recipe is a keeper. I made sausage balls and here is the low down. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: faithfulprovisions.com</td></tr>
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<b>3 Ingredient Sausage Balls</b><br />
1 lb. sausage, hot or mild, your choice<br />
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, not the fine grate but regular<br />
1 1/2 cups Bisquick<br />
Preheat oven to 350.<br />
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Note: I was telling a co-worker about making sausage balls and she gave me some tips. Made sure your ingredients are room temperature so I did that. Work in by hand the sausage, Bisquick, and cheese together in a big bowl. Another tip: don't overwork the ingredients. Roughly shape into balls and put on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes (watch and make sure they are done, but not burnt). These made a lot, maybe 40? And every last one was eaten! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cute!</td></tr>
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For teacher gifts this year, I bought these cute note cards from Walmart (made by Hallmark) and wrote a thank you to Camden's teachers. Anna did her own thank you notes, so thank you Anna for one less thing Mommy had to do!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I will be doing these again!</td></tr>
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I bought a bag of Ghirardelli wrapped chocolates and tied them to the outside of the envelope with gold shiny curling ribbon. I used a small piece of double sided tape to stick the wrapper to the envelope. Voila! Easy peasy! The teachers liked these too and it was something other than another apple-themed gift, a mug, or a candle. Who doesn't love chocolate and a nice thank you note they can keep?<br />
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Until the next post,<br />
Melissa<br />
XOXOMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-36824211677476229542014-12-07T11:32:00.000-05:002014-12-07T16:58:19.703-05:00So You Got An Embroidery Machine on Black Friday/For Christmas<div>
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Hey readers! How's it going? We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, it was nice to see my relatives from Florida, and especially my Aunt Caryl who is working in Hickory for the next 6 weeks! She is a travelng med tech for the government and we love spending time with her. It is always a treat to see family from out of town since our family is spread far and wide.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIioVN0oTf9okp3_4PRIyImJkKkB3nNKP3MXlox-gmasqgwj3igKIizloErg8SOLxxTm7GHu8vXpYXGxOQ3HNpmRcvhCOaYnO4dLAt_tdBoe2oGcUUKjoQPQp5aKjEM1gjk0I4osw9jFI/s1600/sewing+machine+vintage+image+graphicsfairy2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIioVN0oTf9okp3_4PRIyImJkKkB3nNKP3MXlox-gmasqgwj3igKIizloErg8SOLxxTm7GHu8vXpYXGxOQ3HNpmRcvhCOaYnO4dLAt_tdBoe2oGcUUKjoQPQp5aKjEM1gjk0I4osw9jFI/s200/sewing+machine+vintage+image+graphicsfairy2.jpg" /></a></div>Again, I did not brave the craziness that is Black Friday but I loved Cyber Monday! Give me some uninterrupted shopping time online and BAM! Christmas shopping is knocked out! I am a member of a few sewing and embroidery groups on Facebook. Since Black Friday, I have seen many new members join these groups since they bought the Brother PE500 embroidery machine for a steal at Walmart on Black Friday. I have a Brother SE400 which does embroidery and sewing. The PE500 is pretty much the same machine except that it is embroidery only. On the Facebook groups, I saw many questions being asked from these new owners and also a high level of frustration. I've had my machine for 2 1/2 years and here is some advice from what I have learned since then.</div>
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You will most likely need software to combine letters for monograms and use the designs and fonts purchased from other websites. Yes, the machine comes with preloaded letters and designs but that is but a tiny fraction of what you can do with your machine. Embroidery is expensive at first since you will need embroidery thread, stabilizer, and maybe an extra hoop in a different size or two. But back to the software. I recommend Sew What Pro, Embird, or Embrilliance. For fonts and designs, try 8 Claws and a Paw, Apex, AK Designs Boutique, Itch 2 Stitch, Embroitique, and Etsy.
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The thread you need for embroidery is shinier than regular sewing thread. We don't have a craft store here in town so I have bought the Coats and Clark embroidery thread form Walmart. The hot pink is beautiful but my machine likes some colors and other colors shred. Check out Metro thread at www.metroemb.com . Other good thread is Sulky, Mettler, Madeira, and Isacord.</div>
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Grab a spool of Brother bobbin thread in white and black, I use 60 wt. You can get these at craft stores or online, our Walmart doesn't carry bobbin thread so I got mine from eBay.</div>
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You will need stabilizer, I bought a pack of 8x8 precut sheets of cut away and tear away stabilizer from Amazon. Rule of thumb is "if you wear it, don't tear it" since cut away is thicker than tear away. There are many, many kinds of stabilizer out there so don't get overwhelmed. If I'm doing a project and need to know what kind of stabilizer to use, I do a Google search for "stabilizer for towels" or whatever and see what comes up. Embroidery Library is very helpful!</div>
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Another stabilizer that lots of people swear by is water soluble stabilizer or WSS. It goes on top of your embroidery and washes away with water. This is a must for towels or fleece so your stitches don't sink down into the towel. I bought mine at a fabric store. Sulky and Vilene are good brands, mine is Sulky.</div>
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While you are buying, get a can of adhesive craft spray to lightly attach the stabilzer to your fabric. I use Elmers craft spray from Walmart but many other sewists rave about 505 spray.</div>
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Speaking of projects, which is probably why you bought your machine-to create gifts-my advice is to stay simple at first. Baby onesies and t-shirts can be challenging since the knit fabric can get holes in it. For those, get a ballpoint sewing needle so you don't ruin the shirt (ask me how I know). But starting out, here is what I would do. First, I'm going to do this in another post since this post is getting quite lengthy. Read on for Part 2, using your machine.</div>
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Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-89306670563400886172014-12-06T12:17:00.000-05:002015-01-25T16:16:57.678-05:00Part 2: ProjectsBefore starting out on your first project, read your manual. Go through page by page and practice by embroidering a letter on a scrap piece of fabric. Get in the right mindset too, don't have high expectations that you are going to crank out a dozen appliqued t-shirts with 5 different fabrics in time for Christmas pictures. More realistically is a dishtowel, towels, or a bag with an initial on it (Family Dollar has cute cinch sacks for $3). When I bought my machine, I had grand illusions of a mini-sweat shop, creating appliqued t-shirts and outfits, custom pieces, and making a killing on Etsy. All this while working a full time job and being a wife/mom. Oh yeah, and I had never sewn before. I was so disappointed when I couldn't sew an initial on a zip pouch without my machine getting a tangled knot of thread under the fabric. The problem was my bobbin case was cracked and I was good to go when I replaced that.
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Whatever software you get, read the manual. Join the Facebook group for the software program. Start out slow.
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Here is a good project once you get the hang of your machine: Stay-Put or Topsy Towels. Janay of Stitched by Janay did a set, here is her blog about it, the link to the tutorial and buttonhole is in the post: http://tinyurl.com/lo76vmn
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Expect the unexpected! You will get birds nests under your fabric, your needle will come loose and fly off, your needle will break, your machine will eat your fabric. It's ok, it happens to all of us! Be prepared to deal with these setbacks and how to fix them.
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Youtube is your friend! There are so many videos about using your machine. Google is your friend too.
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To recap, go slow and practice on scrap fabric before you monogram on your good fabric. Don't set really high expectations at first. You will get better as you get more skilled. Know how to change a bobbin, rethread your needle, change the needle, and clean out under your needle plate, where the bobbin is.
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Embroidery is a fun hobby but be patient, stay with it, and you will love it!
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Thanks for reading!
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Melissa
Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-48815617828742710052014-11-02T11:41:00.001-05:002014-11-02T11:41:04.686-05:00We Were Minding Our Own Business When....Good morning everyone! Happy Daylight Savings Time Ending to you! We all slept amazingly last night. Before we went to bed, we had an interesting evening.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCumnc5HZzyKX_4pVcgigufHWzNQNPyaUOtGVdGqhGrPryDcS-9z2QpDNvae7K0PTC-PAUzF05GSk8LfommP0OAzf21_yTDRn9EQ85e7Bd75d9yDvp3dmZH3zUd1e_vrKJwcDR35AxfQ/s1600/beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_857112="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCumnc5HZzyKX_4pVcgigufHWzNQNPyaUOtGVdGqhGrPryDcS-9z2QpDNvae7K0PTC-PAUzF05GSk8LfommP0OAzf21_yTDRn9EQ85e7Bd75d9yDvp3dmZH3zUd1e_vrKJwcDR35AxfQ/s1600/beans.jpg" mua="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beans, beans, good for your shirt!</td></tr>
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Mom and Dad picked up Anna and she spent the night with them. Tim, Camden, and I decided to go out to eat since we have a gift card we need to use up. So we picked a Mexican restaurant. We are waiting on our food, eating chips, when the waitress came by with a full tray of food for the couple sitting behind us. The weight of the plates shifted and she fell and this big plate of black beans went flying and it hit the corner of our table, the plate broke and the black beans went EVERYWHERE. The back of Tim's shirt was covered in black beans, my sleeve had beans on it, and even Camden got hit! Oh my gosh, it was a hot mess (literally)! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a small portion of the stains<br />
on Tim's shirt!</td></tr>
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Immediately, the manager came out and about 5 other wait staff came out, apologizing and cleaning up. I felt so bad for the waitress. They offered to pay our dry cleaning bill if necessary-I think everything will come out in the regular laundry-and dinner was free. I'm glad no one was hit by the flying porcelain when the plate broke. In all my years on this Earth, I have never seen that happen before! So we get another chance to burn our gift card at another time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta get those steps in!<br />
Credit: Picgif.com</td></tr>
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Other random things going on in our life: Anna misses cross country and she told me she wants to start training again this week! Well you go girl! It just so happens that I am in a contest at work, sponsored by our Wellness Committee, to see how many steps you walk in a week for the month of November. We have pedometers and have to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps in a week for the first two weeks then it goes to 20,000 steps the last two weeks. If you meet your goal, you are entered in a drawing for 1 of 3 Visa gift cards! Not too shabby for the holidays! So Anna and I will be running/walking on the local Rail Trail here soon.<br />
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We got a new mailbox, we have our suspicions that the leaf truck that comes around hit it during the weekly pick up time. The mailbox is bigger and nicer. No word on if the owner of the leaf truck will pay for it....<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This sums up our Halloween!<br />
Credit: Dreamstime.com</td></tr>
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Halloween was great, but it was rained out! We dropped Anna off at a Halloween party for her youth group then it started POURING down rain, thunder and lightening, the whole works. We hung out at my parent's house since it was close to where Anna was. Camden did not get to go trick or treating but that's ok, he came home with a ton of candy from school! The day before, I went on a field trip with his class to the pumpkin patch. we had a great time and he enjoyed it! At work, we handed out candy to the munchkins who go to a developmental day care center, the same one that Camden goes to in the summer when school is out. There were about 50 kids and their parents who came by as part of a Parade of Spooks. We loved seeing their costumes and they were so precious.<br />
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Also the day before Halloween, that night actually, Anna sang the National Anthem with 3 other girls in the school talent show. Shout Out to my Aunt Caryl who wanted a video so here's a video of the first 10 seconds, Anna is on the far left:<br />
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There is a lot of talent at the middle school! One 7th grade boy did a hip hop dance and he killed it! It was mindblowing. He looked like your average pre-teen kid but he tore it up. The crowd went nuts! For the finale, the chorus sang part of "Thriller" and they had dancers too. It was a great show!<br />
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Y'all take it easy, I better start getting ready for lunch at the in-laws. Don't want to scare anyone with how I look LOL! Halloween is over!<br />
<br />
XOXO,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-8664156409793700052014-09-13T15:23:00.002-04:002014-09-13T15:23:43.729-04:00Just Rolling Along....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5R4k5iYkhluTARZFo_lnMeKD_RJBIQNAVl-_Q5AX_OKDKrNayI60roXnxPvNnnCD_5O3MpMpSaPHguG9Px7UrVU5MB_lEkh84VzX5mQ5FlS5PEIhcOXAnN15LfHUPD986j-GskU0sb4/s1600/bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_842291="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5R4k5iYkhluTARZFo_lnMeKD_RJBIQNAVl-_Q5AX_OKDKrNayI60roXnxPvNnnCD_5O3MpMpSaPHguG9Px7UrVU5MB_lEkh84VzX5mQ5FlS5PEIhcOXAnN15LfHUPD986j-GskU0sb4/s1600/bird.jpg" dua="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You know, this thing!</td></tr>
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Hi everybody! How's it going? School is still going well, Camden has adjusted to his new teacher. He is thriving in a smaller class with only 5 children. What is he doing now? He is flopping on Anna's bed, face first, kind of like that old school "drinking bird" you could put on the side of a drinking glass. He's laughing his head off too. Goofball!
<br />
<br />
He did something new yesterday, he brought me the bucket of large Lego's and wanted me to play with him. This bucket has been in our den for years and he has never taken an interest in them, pretend play is kind of hard for children with autism. We sat on the floor in the den and built a tower with them. Excellent use of fine motor skills, you can tell we have been through physical and occupational therapy before.<br />
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Anna has just finished her reading, thankyoujesus she only has 4 nights of reading to do and give a brief summary. Last year it was 5 nights of reading, give a summary, write down what you got from the reading, and what is a question you have about the reading. It about did us in last year, lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth, in addition to the other homework she had. Here's my .02 on homework: if she has homework to do, that's her monkey on her back and not mine. If she doesn't do it, she'll face the consequences and embarrasment and bad grades when she gets to school. If she needs help with math then starts arguing with us about "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!!" then nope, ain't nobody got time fo dat. It's all you, girlfriend. You need to pay better attention in class and bring home the textbook so we can at least figure out what the heck a "ray" is in geometry. We're trying to help but we will not tolerate being snarked at. The timer is set for 20 minutes, then after that you are done, no ipod, no goofing off the rest of the night. If she is working hard and really trying instead of procrastinating, then we will let her finish as long as there is no distractions and she isn't sneaking looks at her ipod or whatnot. We have come a long way since last year and yes parents, it does get better. Time management is a hard thing to learn.<br />
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I have a sore throat, the munchkins have not felt well the past week and I think I caught it from them. It is time to move the vaporizer from Anna's room into my bedroom tonight. Thank goodness for night time Alka Seltzer so I can get some decent sleep.<br />
<br />
Even though I have a sore throat, I really want to bake some stuff since the weather has turned off just a touch cooler. I don't cook whenever I'm feeling under the weather in case it is a virus. I snagged some apples our Cooperative Extension was giving away at work, our local Apple Festival is next weekend, and I am going to eventually make an apple crisp. I will post it on here. I've made it before and it is really easy and so good.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I say ol' chap, it's time <br />
for a spot of tea!</td></tr>
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Ugh, off to make something hot for my throat. I bought an electric water kettle at Aldi's today, we were hunting one up last December when we took a trip to Raleigh and figured we could use it in the hotel room if we got a hankering for mac and cheese or noodle soup. I couldn't find one anywhere! I grabbed this one today at Aldi's, it reminds me of my college days and heating up water for noodle soup or grits. It does heat up water faster than the kettle on the stove. It's tea and cookies time! That should make everyone feel better.<br />
<br />
I hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for reading!<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-37817595671064856682014-08-28T20:09:00.002-04:002014-08-28T20:09:56.978-04:00Back to the Grind!<br />
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<br />
Greetings readers! School started here this past Monday and so far so good!<br />
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The biggest change this year is for Monkey Boy, he has a brand new, fresh out of college teacher. The teacher he had for 4 years transferred to another school closer to her home. He is in a class with 4 other students and the teacher assistants are the same ones from last year. Tim and I were a little concerned since the boy loves his routine and things staying the same. Plus, would his new teacher come back after the first day or would she get scared off (ha ha)! Lord knows Monkey Boy can be a handful, not to mention the other munchkins in the class.<br />
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According to the notes being sent home, he is doing great and doing really well with his iPad. We had to scale back on the iPad usage last year, it was like it would hype him up and he would get over stimulated. I'm so glad he is able to use it now. We use Proloquo2Go as his "touch to speak" app. Want more information about touch to speak apps and using the iPad for children with autism? Shoot me an e-mail mbsmith1234 at gmail dot com.<br />
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He also learned a new sign this week, the sign for rabbit. He was carrying around his Goodnight, Moon book and I made the sign for rabbit and had him to do it. He's now imitating the sign. This is great progress!<br />
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Anna started her second year at middle school. Her big change this year is trying out for the cross country team! Lawd help, somehow I got roped into being her training partner so we started walking/running on the local trail that runs through our downtown. It is 1.5 miles one way so we were logging 3 miles a night. I think I messed up my foot since my running shoes were too little now the top of my foot hurts, yeowch. I got some new running shoes and that helped, it is still sore through. ANYWAY, she likes XC and the girls on the team. I was talking with another mom whose daughter is on the team and she said it is a drama-free team, which is always a plus, and the season is short! I'm all for that! <br />
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Anna has been showing some initiative in completing her homework without me having to light a fire under her and bug her to no end to do it. She's also making her lunch on her own in the evenings. This too is progress! We were in the depths of Homework H*#& last year and it was not fun, don't ever want to go there again. Next week starts the nightly reading and completing the reading log so we'll see if this independence lasts.<br />
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School is out for Labor Day and it is a government holiday so who knows what we will strike out and do. We are looking for a bed for Anna so maybe we will end up at IKEA. I'd love that! Forget shopping for clothes, I could wander around IKEA all day, so could Anna.<br />
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I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, it is supposed to be back in the 90's here. We may hit up the new splash pad that opened up.<br />
<br />
XOXO,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-89565333777551245062014-08-09T09:37:00.000-04:002014-08-10T20:20:13.788-04:00Guess What Is Evil-According To AnnaHappy weekend everyone! We are going to a family reunion tonight and I am taking a break from cooking to share this funny story with you.<br />
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A few weeks ago, Anna went to Sunday night service with my parents and the sermon was about idolatry. The Pastor said "We must flee from idolatry, we as a nation have turned to idolatry and it is evil." Mom said Anna made a face and got all huffy and ill about it and had a mean face on. My Mom and Dad were like "????" Now Anna doesn't have posters up in her room of Bieber or 1D so idolatry isn't really an issue. They were wondering what in the world she was getting all jumped up about.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIaANjeBzRIScKJmFTpx9oW-QJ6wSPzzPxRCxBXKQc5cbrgjqNAE-JBzNbrYYyWxYxVIxwLKWwfWHslJFOczGZIJ-T8EeEvCCV4jHg9-770JpoJ4d7476CaA6p5XQFEiKm-BPeOJ3TsE/s1600/dollatree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" bua="true" closure_lm_469465="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIaANjeBzRIScKJmFTpx9oW-QJ6wSPzzPxRCxBXKQc5cbrgjqNAE-JBzNbrYYyWxYxVIxwLKWwfWHslJFOczGZIJ-T8EeEvCCV4jHg9-770JpoJ4d7476CaA6p5XQFEiKm-BPeOJ3TsE/s1600/dollatree.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FLEE! I say FLEE!</td></tr>
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After church, Mom asked Anna what was wrong and she said "I can't believe the Pastor said the Dollar Tree was evil and we should turn away from it!" Mom said "He was talking about IDOLATRY, having idols, not the Dollar Tree!" Bahaha!<br />
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Moral of The Story: clean out your ears! At least Anna was paying attention!<br />
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<br />Melissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-52105557269873035012014-08-03T20:24:00.000-04:002014-08-03T20:24:28.098-04:00Latest Sewing ProjectsHi Readers! How's it going?<br />
<br />
Speaking of going, that's about all we have been doing the last 2 weeks. Anna had drama camp 2 weeks ago, which was amazing, and the past week she had sewing camp in the morning and international cooking camp in the afternoon. Next up for this week is art camp for two afternoons then the next week is Recycling and Repurposing camp. Busy busy!<br />
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The theme of drama camp was "A Day in the Life of Drama". The instructors taught the kids how to audition, what stage directions mean, how to be a good audience member, and how to cooperate with the rest of the cast. During the audition workshop, all students had to introduce themselves and sing a song or dance. Now my child has about 800 songs on her iPod, she took chorus last year, and sings all the time. Did she sing a Broadway number like Defying Gravity or Hard Knock Life? NO! She gets up there and sings Happy Birthday! Goofball! She said sooooo many little girls sang "Let It Go" from Frozen. I bet!<br />
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This past week, sewing and cooking camp were in the same building where I work so that was convenient. In sewing class, they learned how to make a tissue holder and an apron. They cut fabric, wound their bobbin, threaded their machine, and learned what to do in case something goes wrong. I even learned something which was to gently let your presser foot down on the fabric and not flick the presser foot lever down hard. Ooops! The saying "you learn something new every day" is true!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNcz-7abSnrZ4HWh5G9F-kVmZtUzuAee6aYWtN2Fki-TBF6PQyFuG5iCuLwEURDIcllAGXECzma19CECXJWghyphenhyphenaUL17O2BvT2G1T9zAIpLiXYT4Y-oxOG_79SBIMjQIJZ9Bt6z8BgAtM/s1600/anchor+shirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_367091="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheNcz-7abSnrZ4HWh5G9F-kVmZtUzuAee6aYWtN2Fki-TBF6PQyFuG5iCuLwEURDIcllAGXECzma19CECXJWghyphenhyphenaUL17O2BvT2G1T9zAIpLiXYT4Y-oxOG_79SBIMjQIJZ9Bt6z8BgAtM/s1600/anchor+shirts.jpg" yua="true" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Design From<br />
Applique Market.com<br />
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Our latest sewing project here at home were these patch pocket t-shirts. When we were at the beach, we saw some at the Hallmark store at the mall for $26! I said, um no, I can do that for a heck of a lot cheaper. So when we got back home and $2 later, I had the bought the anchor design and merged in the letters from a monogram font I already had. Anna picked out the pocket fabric and thread for the design. These turned out great! Anna loves wearing them, which makes me happy she likes to wear something I made her. My department Director at work told me "It's not homemade, it's a 'custom piece'"! I like that.<br />
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I'm writing this while our supper is cooking (pizza) and the oven just dinged. I'll give a recap of cooking camp later this week and share a recipe of what Anna liked the best. Stay tuned!<br />
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Have a great week everyone!<br />
XOXO,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-87384477901297307752014-07-22T08:03:00.000-04:002014-07-22T08:03:36.410-04:00Blueberry Buckle For The Win!So on Sunday I made a blueberry buckle, which is like a one layer cake with a cinnamon sugar topping. It was as good as it sounds! I had just taken it out of the oven when my parents dropped off Kangaroo Girl from Youth Group. Great timing! We demolished half of the pan, it was SO GOOD. <br />
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The recipe is from Katie at <a href="http://www.madetobeamomma.com/2014/02/blueberry-buckle.html">Made To Be A Momma.com</a> Following is the recipe, directly from her website:<br />
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For the Cake:<br />
3/4 cup sugar <br />
1/4 cup shortening <br />
1 egg <br />
1/2 cup milk <br />
2 cups flour <br />
2 tsp. baking powder <br />
1/2 tsp salt <br />
2 cups blueberries<br />
<br />
Topping: <br />
1/2 cup sugar <br />
1/3 cup flour <br />
2 tsp. cinnamon <br />
1/4 cup butter, softened <br />
<br />
Instructions: <br />
1.Combine the sugar, shortening, egg, milk, flour, baking powder and salt. <br />
2.Fold in the blueberries. <br />
3.Pour the mixture in a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. <br />
4. Combine the topping ingredients of sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter until crumbly. <br />
5. Sprinkle the topping mixture on top of the cake. <br />
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. <br />
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Notes: <br />
*If you use frozen berries your cake mixture will get quite cold and form into a large "ball" when transferring to a pan. Just use a spatula or your hand to push the cake mixture to fill the pan. <br />
*We also found that the cake mixture fits into an 8 in. x 11 in. pan just fine as well. Makes the cake pieces thicker. Just adjust baking time if needed. <br />
This one is going in my recipe box. The cinnamon sugar topping was so good! We ate it with ice cream. <br />
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Have a great day readers and thanks for reading! <br />
XOXO, <br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1399925777332118503.post-73626116482036125442014-07-20T11:37:00.000-04:002014-07-20T11:40:25.964-04:00Cucumber and Tomato SaladTim has done an amazing job with our small raised garden. Our tomatoes and peppers went gangbusters this year. Last year, not so much due to tons of rain, everything was washed out. This year, everyone else's garden has busted out all over with produce and our neighbor left us a bag of tomatoes and cucumbers on our porch. What to do with all this bounty?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What my kitchen counter looks like!<br />
Photo by Lynn Ketchum via the<br />
Oregon State Univ. Extension Website</td></tr>
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I don't can fresh foods so we have to eat it up somehow. I stumbled across a recipe for cucumber and tomato salad. I can put this together and have it chilling in the fridge while I make the rest of dinner. <br />
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Basically, you dice up as much peeled cucumber and tomatoes as you want and combine in a bowl. Pour some Italian dressing over it and refrigerate while you finish making supper. It goes well by itself or you can eat it with saltines or like a pico de gallo with pita chips. It is not as labor intensive as making bowls of salads and it comes together quick and keeps for a few days in the fridge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGPJ0ny6sr6-BLL80c77jGBG0MtV3Ahur1KLRy0DcLjI0Lop5erF8SVNqOVKTOTT2PjXBvFVnFeK5nG6b1H5dQfsoxuIVQtPwM3FB2Rf5nez0s_xdKY3bPJpSzKq_7-PK4rLVwRHIaY8/s1600/tomato-salad-ck-642333-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" closure_lm_938787="null" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGPJ0ny6sr6-BLL80c77jGBG0MtV3Ahur1KLRy0DcLjI0Lop5erF8SVNqOVKTOTT2PjXBvFVnFeK5nG6b1H5dQfsoxuIVQtPwM3FB2Rf5nez0s_xdKY3bPJpSzKq_7-PK4rLVwRHIaY8/s1600/tomato-salad-ck-642333-l.jpg" height="200" vua="true" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by Karry Hosford from the<br />
My Recipes.com Website</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Not my photo, plus I don't add red onions (I don't do onions, ick). You'll find I will rarely add an original photo since it takes so long for me to upload it and get it how I want it on the blog. Much easier to grab a photo already on the web and it looks better too!<br />
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We have a ton of blueberries to use up and I'm going to make a blueberry buckle today. I'll post that recipe if it turns out. It seems easy enough.<br />
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I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday! Thanks for reading!<br />
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XOXO,<br />
MelissaMelissa in NChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709301619331949408noreply@blogger.com2