FLASHBACK 1996

"i'm thankful for the blessing and the lessons that i've learned" 
july 12. noah is turning 8 today. party's cancelled. there will no be going outside today. hurricane bertha is blowing in and dumping buckets of rain. did i say buckets? i should say olympic~size pools of rain. countless olympic~size pools. boo.
september 5. thursday. there's no school today. stupid hurricane fran is swirling around in the atlantic and threatening our way of life. i spend the entire day getting the house locked down. i take care of care of my neighbors house, too. they conveniently went out of town. there are no last minute trips to the store because i am already stocked up. bring it on. the ex's granny is staying with us. i am starting to cook before we lose power. BAM! too late. the ex runs out to pick up hot food...it might be the last one for awhile. just as the tail of the car clears the driveway, a huge tree falls across it. yep. he narrowly escaped certain death. we eat whoppers and french fries by candlelight. thank god for radios and battery operated tv's. we let george elliott keep us updated on the storm track. after a few short hours of sleep, we wake up to trees and powers lines down everywhere...EVERYWHERE. it will be  3 weeks before everybody has power. ugh.
FLASH FORWARD october 29, 2012
hurricane sandy makes landfall. she destroys atlantic city. she shuts down new york city...the city that never sleeps. millions are without power, or lost their homes to flooding. close to 100 people have lost their lives. 
FLASH FORWARD today
it's november. and even though we should be thankful everyday of every month of every year, we have deemed this month as the month of thankfulness. and, with the images of hurricane sandy's devastation, we are all thinking about how blessed and lucky we are. everyday people will share 1 thing they are thankful for. so what am i thankful for?
#1~i am thankful i no longer live in the direct path of hurricanes. 
#2~i am thankful for 3 boys that, mostly, act like grown~ups. mostly.
#3~i am thankful for a bk who loves me and takes care of me.
#4~i am thankful for food in my belly and a roof over my head.
#5~i am thankful that my parents are happy and healthy.
#6~i am thankful for dear friends.
#7~i am thankful for my brother, sister in~law, and nieces that are not only family, but also, friends.
#8~i am thankful for a bk that pretends that i am a good cook.
#9~i am thankful that the bk and i have jobs that allow us to occasionally splurge on cheesecake factory pumpkin cheesecake. 
#10~and most importantly...i am thankful for cheesecake factory pumpkin cheesecake!!
so tell me...what are you thankful for?

           

 
east coast storm a brewin...

^sandy's path^

               

 

     

 

                         

 

show your thankfulness by donating to disaster relief...just click on one of the following links...:)

americares.org

the american red cross

FLASHBACK 1966

"won't you tell me how to get...how to get to sesame street!"
cookie monster is born today. created by jim henson, he was first used for a general foods commercial that never aired. eventually, he made his debut on sesame street...gobbling down cookies and teaching children about the letter c. he is now, and will always be, my favorite muppet. 
FLASH FORWARD 2006
people are a little ridiculous. we, as a nation, are getting heavier and heavier. and so are our children. but parents don't want to take responsibility for that. they want to point fingers at EVERYBODY else. including cookie monster. cookie monster stepped up and started teaching healthy eating habits, saying "cookies are a sometimes snack" and admitted to loving fruits and vegetables. poor cookie monster. he ate cookies...and ONLY cookies...the entire time i was growing up, and i was only allowed cookies as a "sometimes snack". now he has to eat fruits and vegetables because today's parent doesn't want to take the time to teach their child healthy eating habits. 
FLASH FORWARD today
in honor of cookie monsters birthday, i am gonna share a fabulous cookie recipe passed down from the bk's grandma! 

BUTTERSCOTCH COOKIES

1c butter (room temp)
1 c brown sugar
2 sm pkg instant butterscotch pudding
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 c flour
1 tsp baking soda

cream together butter and brown sugar. add in eggs and vanilla. add butterscotch pudding. sift flour and baking soda together, then slowly add to wet ingredients (mixing on low or with a spoon). you may not need all of the flour, but you should add enough to be able to handle the dough. roll dough into 1 1/2" logs and wrap in waxed paper. chill for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. slice roll into 1/4" slices and bake, in a 350 degree oven, for 8~10 minutes. cool before icing. 

ICING:

1 c powdered sugar
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
food coloring (optional)

mix all ingredients together. add food coloring to desired shade. 

eat a cookie or two today...just remember NOT to eat the whole box!!!!

                                            

^okay...i cannot stand "call me maybe" but this is pretty awesomesauce^

FLASHBACK october 27, 2012

"O~H~I~O!!!!"
okay. i know. that was just 5 short days ago. but...
osu v penn state. evening game. close to halloween. we know it's gonna be fun! and extra people will be there. the food needs to be amazing! bridgey has pigs~in~a~blanket, skyline dip, queso dip, meatballs, mini sausages. she sees all these dishes on pinterest that are made like mini~muffins. she decides to create her own. PIZZA MUFFINS!!!!! yep. that's what i said. and you really need to try them!!

PIZZA MUFFINS:

1 box chef boyardee pizza
shredded mozerella (of course, you can use whatever you choose)
mini pepperoni (or meat of your choice)
mini muffin pan

pre~heat oven to 400 degrees. mix pizza dough according to package directions. divide dough evenly between muffin cups. add sauce, provided in package, evenly in muffin cups. add meat, as desired, to each muffin. top with cheese. bake for 25 minutes. 
enjoy!!!

 

^this happened^