Dee

I have seen this when I worked in the Hospital as a teen. I can ask my mom and see what she says about this Cat and get back to you.

Join in the silence. . . May what you find here feed your soul enhance your journey ... and lead you to union

So glad to hear your home Mare- Now recover totally to good health- Cappy and I send our positive thoughts your way!

Jimmy Dean Sausage Price- THUMBS DOWN! The taste is great but you can get the same sausage in plain lable brands and it would taste just as good as Jimmy Dean Sausage. Lets face it, Because of the brand name you pay more.

Bissell Clearview carpet machine- THUMBS UP! It really cleans and pulls the dirt up out of the carpet. It does a great job!

Swiffer Duster- A BIG THUMBS UP! for this product! If you have allergies and dust drives you nuts this product is great for controlling those pesky dust mites that bring on the sneezys. Stores sell cheaper versions of this product and the dusters themselves can be purchased in an offbrand and are just as good as the brand name.

Clean varnished woodwork. Cold Lipton tea is a good cleaning agent for any kind of woodwork.

Tenderize meat. Add equal parts strong brewed Lipton tea and double strength beef stock to a tough pot roast or stew. The tannin in tea is a natural meat tenderizer.

Free Hotel Rewards Programs For example www.choicehotels.com (aka the Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion chain) offers 1 Free night with every 10 paid nights. I call it B10G1 www.Marriott.com is offering buy 5 get 1 free B5G1 in addition to their regular rewards points. www.holiday-inn.com is offering free dinner each night for 2 adults (and kids always eat free).

Its City Council meeting tonight on tv so the fare is: Its a Crock-Pot day here......... Pot Roast Potatoes Carrots Rolls Chocolate Cake Too bad you can't get our City Council ( Clowncil ) Meetings on TV. The Meetings are the most entertaining show on TV.

Turkey WIngs This is a cheap dish cooked in the crockpot along with potatoes. Add your turkey wings to the crockpot with 1/2 cup of water. Season with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper then add whole potatoes to the mixture. Turkey wings are cheap and filling. You can also barbeque them.

For your leftover mashed potatoes. This is what we do. We do what we call, stuffed hotdogs! Slit your hotdogs lengthwise, but not all the way through, open them to lay flat on a cookie sheet, add mashed potatoes on top to cover, add cheese, and baco strips, bake in oven until cooked and bacon is cooked. We love them, and serve them with a tossed salad. You can also add any other toppings you want on top of the potatoes, Use you imagination.

A big Thanks to Snowmom, Twi and Grace and Lowie for the wonderful quilt squares you sent. Cappy brought mine to the post office on Saturday Morning so hopefully you will all get them at the beginning of the week.

Just some goulash Easy and quick Using meat left over from sloppy joe mix. Some ice cold lemons made lemonaide Chocolate Chip cookies will make Cappys day.

Veggie Foils Ingredients 3 white onions, sliced to 1/4 inch thickness 9 frozen small corn cobs 1/2 pound snow peas 3 tablespoons butter seasoning salt to taste 2 cubes ice Directions 1 Lightly oil grill and preheat to high. 2 Place onion slices on a large sheet of aluminum foil; bring up edges of foil a bit to form a foil 'package'. Add corn and snow peas to onions. Place butter or margarine on top, spread out. Season with seasoned salt to taste, then lay ice cubes on top of the whole thing. Seal well in a foil 'packet'. 3 Place foil packet on top shelf of preheated grill while cooking your favorite meats; grill until corn is firm but tender. Open foil packet and serve!

Cheap-loaf One reason that meatloaf was such a favorite with Mom, Grandma, and Great-Grandma, is that it's very economical. The mixture can be stretched with veggies, bread and grains. And not only can meatloaf's small amount of meat feed a large number of people, but all the non-meat additions add nutrition too, and they make the meatloaf taste even more delicious!

Don't throw out that Left over garlic bread from last nights dinner. Use it for this meal: Italian Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: Ingredients 1/4 cup unsalted butter 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (optional) 12 slices garlic bread 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce Directions 1 Preheat your oven's broiler. 2 Place 6 slices of bread onto a baking sheet. Spread a small handful of the mozzarella cheese over each slice. Top with the remaining 6 slices of bread. Mix together the butter and garlic powder, brush some over the tops of the sandwiches, or spread with the back of a tablespoon. Sprinkle with dried oregano. 3 Place baking sheet under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove pan from oven, flip sandwiches, and brush the other sides with butter, and sprinkle with oregano. Return to the broiler, and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. 4 Cut sandwiches in half diagonally, and serve immediately with vodka sauce on the side for dipping.

Sundays recipe for the day is: Baked Pork Chops: Ingredients 6 pork chops 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon seasoning salt 2 egg, beaten 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 cups Italian-style seasoned bread crumbs 4 tablespoons olive oil 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup milk 1/3 cup white wine Directions 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2 Rinse pork chops, pat dry, and season with garlic powder and seasoning salt to taste. Place the beaten eggs in a small bowl. Dredge the pork chops lightly in flour, dip in the egg, and coat liberally with bread crumbs. 3 Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the pork chops 5 minutes per side, or until the breading appears well browned. Transfer the chops to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and cover with foil. 4 Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. While baking, combine the cream of mushroom soup, milk and white wine in a medium bowl. After the pork chops have baked for an hour, cover them with the soup mixture. Replace foil, and bake for another 30 minutes

Weekly Menu for the week of May 5-11 Monday: Hot Dog on Rolls Potato Chips- Lower Fat Carrot Sticks Apples Tuesday: Goulash made with elbow macaroni, 1/2 lb of ground turkey and a jar of spaghetti sauce Garlic Toast Green Beans Jello with Fruit added Wednesday: Chicken and Rice Casserole- Take 2 or three chicken thighs and parboil them on top of the stove. Take the meat off the bones when the chicken cools and put aside in a casserole dish. Next add one cup of uncooked brown rice and 1 cup of frozen broccoli to the casserole dish with the chicken. Take 1 can of Creme of Celery Soup and one can of Mushroom Soup and add them to the casserole mixture. Use 1 can and a half of water to the mixture and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes then serve. Chilled Orange Slices for dessert Thursday: Tuna Subs on small sub or hot dog rolls Pickles celery sticks Oatmeal Cookies Friday: Grilled Hamburgers Tossed Salad Left over Low fat chips Watermelon slices chilled Saturday: Home made Cheese and veggie Pizza Frozen seedless grapes Sunday: Barbecued Chicken Legs Low fat potato salad Baked beans Tossed Salad with loads of fresh veggies Chocolate Cavity Maker Cake: Ingredients 1 (18.25 ounce) package dark chocolate cake mix 1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream 3 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup coffee flavored liqueur 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips Directions 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan. 2 In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, sour cream, eggs, oil and coffee liqueur. Beat until ingredients are well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be thick. Spoon into prepared pan. 3 Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until cake springs back when lightly tapped. Cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool completely on wire rack.

A simple, inexpensive, and organic way of controlling weeds is to use newspaper. Cover the area you wish to rid of weeds with several layers of newspaper, then spread mulch or compost over the newspaper. You can plant whatever you would like over this. Just poke a hole in the newspaper for the seed/plant and plant away!

Children's Artwork - What mom doesn't love the gifts her children make for her? Children's drawings, paintings or poems all become extra special when placed in an attractive frame. A Hobby Basket - What does your mom do for fun? Create a gift basket using her hobby as a theme. For example, if she loves to play sports, create a gift basket with a new water bottle, a book on fitness, and several new pairs of athletic socks. Roses - Most women love roses, right? Rather than giving her a bouquet that she can only enjoy for a few days, give her a rose bush that will bloom for years to come. If you want, include an "IOU" good for a few hours of gardening time to help her plant your gift in her flower garden. Handprints or Footprints - Use her children's hands or feet to make a memorable gift. The impression of a child's hand or foot can be pressed into modeling clay to make a wall hanging or quick drying cement to make a garden stepping stone. You can also coat the palm of the child's hand or the sole of his foot with washable ink or paint. Then stamp the print onto cardstock to create a keepsake suitable for framing. A "Thanks, Mom" Book - On each page of a blank journal, write a message of thanks such as, "Thank you for always encouraging me," or something about your mom for which you are thankful like, "I am thankful that you taught me the value of hard work." Include a note that instructs Mom to reread this book often to remind her of how much she is loved and appreciated. A Personalized Apron or Tote Bag - Use fabric paint or iron-on transfers for your inkjet printer to create an apron that is just Mom's style. Decorate the apron with transfers of family photos or use stencils to paint on your decorations. Chocolate Fantasy - Is Mom a chocolate fanatic? Fill a gift basket with several varieties of homemade cookies, candy and muffins in her favorite flavor. If Mom loves sweets but is concerned about her weight, use recipes for special goodies that are low in fat and sugar. Any of these low-cost, high-value gift ideas are sure to bring a smile to the face of the special mom in your life. Or, if you are a mother who thinks your family may need a little help with Mother's Day gift giving, you have my permission to make several copies of this list and leave them in conspicuous places around the house!

I sure hear you on that one Fitzie. Last year we had five high school graduations in the family and I didn't want to spend alot so this is what I did! I bought 5 big binders and covered them with cloth and added the graduation invitiation on the front of the cloth covered binder along with some lace and plastic over and around the invitation and then I bought clear plastic inserts at the dollar store and put them in the binder so the kids could put all their graduation photos in the binder. They came out very nice and I was approached to make many for a local business but I just didn't have time. I have also made gifts for the college bound grad that contained many of the samples that I sent away for stored in a 1.00 plastic trash bin that I got from the 1.00 store. I also added: bars of soap toothbrushes toothpaste shampoo/conditioner pens/pencils paperclips hi-liters bubbles (great for dorm life!) plastic cups washclothes and two towels ramen noodles boxes of macaroni and cheese boxes of cocoa mix ( hot chocolate) Index cards koolaid Chocolate for the sweet tooth! and more. This was a big hit with the kids... How about picture frames... decorated. Day Planners that are under 2.00- the college student lives for these.

Thanks Hill, I hope everyone else will click each day!

If your gas grill doesn't have a thermometer, install a quality one yourself. Check with the hardware store and see if they have a thermometer with a range of 0 degrees to 600 or 700 degrees. There is no reason for one with higher readings than this.

Continental Baguette 1 cooked tenderloin from Pork Tenderloin Fajitas recipe, thinly sliced 1 baguette (long, thin French bread), about 24 inches long ½ cup spreadable garlic and herb cheese ½ cup fruit chutney or cranberry sauce 4 large lettuce leaves Cut baguette into 4 equal pieces and cut each lengthwise. Spread cheese onto the bottoms of bread, followed by chutney. Top with slices of tenderloin and lettuce, then tops of bread. Serves 4. Make with leftovers from Pork Tenderloin Fajitas recipe.