photo by: British Red Cross

This photo has just haunted me today.  I don’t know anything about the boy other than he was injured in the earthquake and was receiving care in a Port-au-Prince hotel.  I would consider myself a somewhat jaded person after years on working in the nonprofit sector, but this tragedy has really struck a nerve. I have watched television all day and read every scrap of information online.  The history of this nation reads like a Greek tragedy.  I wanted to do something and after looking at all the ways to help, I decided to make a donation to fund direct aid to the country through a organization called Mercy Corps.  I  have made donations to Mercy Corps in the past to assist other countries in times of natural disasters. If you would like to donate any amount please click on this link to my fundraising page with Mercy Corps.

Back in the beginning of December,  I purchased a set of Christmas cards at a Barnes and Noble, that is not my local Barnes and Noble.  They were made of a lovely card stock and had a bird sitting on a branch on the outside and Season’s Greetings written on the inside.  Simple and lovely.  I got home and wrote out the first card.  Upon pulling out the envelopes, I find that all 21 envelopes in the box were sealed.  I called the store where I bought them and I was told to return them to my local store.  Unfortunately my local store never had the cards in stock and the other stores were sold out of the cards.  I picked out new cards, checked the envelopes and learned an important lesson:

Always check the cards and the envelopes before buying stationary at Barnes and Noble.

Well fast forward to a few days after Christmas and I walked into my local Barnes and Noble and there was a huge sale table with cards and calendars on the table.  I decided to look through and I was excited when I found a box of the cards just like the ones I had returned. Well, I had to apply my new life lesson, so I open the box only to discover the card I had written on sitting on top of the sealed envelopes. When I returned the item apparently it was just restocked. I spoke to customer service and explained what had happened and asked that they get rid of the cards. They apologized and assured me this never happens and they will make sure they are labeled damaged and properly disposed of. I learned another important lesson:

Barnes and Noble restocks damaged return items, so check every last thing you buy for damage.

My friends and family got a chuckle out of this story. I posted what had happened to my Facebook account.  Well last week my best friend was shopping in our local Barnes and Noble. She had been with me when I originally bought the cards. Well she is a bargain shopper and she was going through the Christmas cards.  She came across a box of Christmas cards with a bird on the front. She had to look. Sitting on top was the Christmas card I had written and all 21 sealed envelopes.  She took them to customer service. Explained what had happened. OF COURSE THEY WERE HORRIFIED!  They put a sticky on it, wrote damaged and placed it behind the counter, so that it would not be restocked by accident.  She called me. I was perturbed but I learned another important lesson:

My local Barnes and Noble is extremely unorganized and could give a crap about their customers.

Well today I decided to go to my local Barnes and Noble to pick up a couple of books about traveling to London and the UK.  I walked up to get into line to pay and right next to the line is a table with sale items such as calendars and you guessed it, Christmas cards. I look down and there they were…I can spot these cards from 100 feet now, much less on the table right next to the check out counter. I picked them up, took a deep breathe and opened the box of cards.  The card I wrote was not on top! For a moment, I thought wow I am jaded, they had to get rid of those cards by now, maybe they had another box in stock.  I decided to follow the first rule, which was to check the envelopes. Sure enough they were all sealed. Then I decided to follow the second rule, so I counted the cards and sure enough they had thrown out the card I had written on, but put the rest in the box and restocked the item. Which brings me to my third lesson, Barnes and Noble can’t organize their staff or stock.  I went up to the customer service counter, asked for a manager and explained what happened for the fourth time.  I was assured the matter would be handled immediately. I learned another important lesson:

Barnes and Noble lies, lies, lies.

I now have daydreams about finding the cards again in a future visit.  I have thought about carrying a trash can with me and burning them in the middle of the store. I have thought about ripping them into confetti bits and tossing them at customers as they enter. I have thought about taking a Sharpie to the outside of the box.  I have thought about screaming “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?”, at the top of my lungs and collapsing to the floor kicking and flailing my arms. In the end, I have concluded I won’t be doing anything that could get me arrested and I WILL NOT be going to my local Barnes and Noble for anything in the near future.

This year we celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. We had decided on gifts to mark the occasion and then we were both hit with inspiration.  Instead of buying a piece of jewelry that would sit in a box and instead of buying the complete works of Robert Heinlein in their leather bound editions, we should instead go on a trip and create some new memories! We have such fun on our trips and I would rather have those special moments than a box from Tiffany. We have decided on London and the surrounding areas. If you have been there, please drop a note about your favorite place in London!

Last year I found J. Kaye’s Book Blog a little too late to join her reading challenge. I was determined this year to join the fun. I am challenging myself to read 100 books in the coming year.  I have decided to make the challenge a little more challenging by stating that they have to be books I have never read before. I have read some books 5 or 6 times a piece.  I am also not allowing romance novels to count.  I can read a 300 page romance novel in under two hours.  My husband seems to think I should up the challenge to 2oo books because he thinks 100 books for me is a breeze. I think I will take a look at my progress in July and consider upping the challenge but for the moment we will stick to 100 books in a year. My first book will be A Bone to Pick by Charlaine Harris. I love her Sookie books and her Harper series. I am just getting into the Aurora Teagarden series.  If you would like to join the challenge go to J. Kaye’s site and join the 400+ of us who have already accepted the challenge!

Sephora is the only distributor of Philosophy’s Cinnamon Hot Dots body wash. This is the only cinnamon based body wash I have found in a while. My husband loves it!

Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatment

I hate chapped lips and I have tried just about every lip balm, chap stick, lip gloss etc. out there without a clear winner. I had a great coupon for Sephora during the Christmas holiday, so I used it to buy this lip treatment that had been recommended.  Fresh’s Sugar Lip Treatment with SPF15 has kept my lips in perfect condition this winter.  It is expensive at $22.50 for a tube but there is no denying the end results!

Progressive Magnetic Measuring Spoons

I love my new Progressive Magnetic Measuring Spoons.  These spoons are magnetic, so they snap together for storage and the best thing is that each spoon is level on the bottom, so you can measure out a spice and set it aside until you need it. No SPILLS!  They make these in the above color or in stainless steel.  I found them on sale for $5.99 on Macy’s before Christmas. The best price I can find now is $7.95 on Amazon.

Barefoot Contessa’s Maple Roasted Bacon

photo by: misocrazy

Ina Garten is a genius! I made this bacon as part of Christmas breakfast. I did not make enough.  This would make my top five of favorite foods. I don’t have a picture of the finished product because it didn’t stay on a plate long enough for me to get a picture.  Make sure you use center cut bacon and real maple syrup when making Maple Roasted Bacon.

I have been away from blogging as I handled a lot of personal things.  Our first IVF cycle failed, my mother has been ill, I had a flu/strep throat combo, my 13 year old cat has been sick and the holiday season just came out of nowhere!   Pete and I are charging forward with our second IVF attempt.  I am very nervous and trying really hard to balance a sense of hope with a sense of absolute dread.  My doctor performed a test to check my anti-mullerian hormone.  The test results suggest that I have a small egg supply.  This means that I won’t produce as many eggs as most women going through IVF.  On the 8th of January I start my stimulation medications. My hips and shoulders are already aching in anticipation of the shots that I have to have have each morning and evening.  I am just praying for a chance and trying my best to keep my spirits up. The Christmas season has been a blessing because it has given us a chance to step back and to give thanks for all the wonderful people in our life.  It is so easy to concentrate on what you think is missing  versus embracing what you have.

I am so excited about the coming snow! I love having snow during the holidays. I am going to stay in and bake cookies and enjoy my Williams-Sonoma hot chocolate!

Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum

Lancaster Central Market

Buchanan’s Gardens

Shenck’s Mill Covered Bridge

Wheatland- Home of President James Buchanan

Siegrist’s Mill Covered Bridge

I am not sure if I have shared this before, but I only have the poverty plan for cable television. We decided that paying $60 a month for channels that we never really watched was not a smart choice. We pay $15.00 a month for basic service.  I really miss Food Network but I found a PBS cooking show called Everyday Food. Everyday Food is produced by Martha Stewart Living.  The show has a theme and five different chefs create dishes that fit into the theme. The other day they had a show called Meat and Potatoes. One of the dishes highlighted was Prosciutto Wrapped Pork Chops. I decided to try the recipe tonight for dinner. My husband and I really enjoyed the dish. It is really easy to do and it only took about 20 minutes to prep and cook the dish.  Do not skip the lemon wedge. There is just something delightful about  fresh lemon over pork. Trust me!

Ingredients:

4 Boneless pork loin chops

Coarse salt and ground pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (I used dried thyme.)

4 slices prosciutto

2 teaspoons olive oil

Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

1. Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Sprinkle thyme leaves over each, pressing, to help them adhere to the meat. Wrap 1 prosciutto slice around middle of each chop, like a belt; press ends to seal.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Cook chops until golden brown and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes per side. (Cook in two batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding.) Serve chops with lemon wedges.

Bourbon Slush
6 ounce can of frozen orange juice
6 ounce can of frozen lemonade
1 cup sugar
6 cups cold water
2 cups water with 2 to 4 tea bags steeped
1 1/3 cups bourbon

Mix well together orange juice, lemonade, sugar and 6 cups cold water. Then add 2 cups of tea and bourbon. Pour into a bowl and place in freezer until slushy. Serve by itself or half slush with ginger ale or lemon/lime soda.

If you have dark circles under your eyes or laugh lines that you want to disappear…try this! My sister loves Benefit products and I have to say, I am starting to love them as well. If you don’t want to order them online, visit your closest Sephora.

I have a few social occassions coming up and I decided that versus digging in my purse for paper and pen to collect numbers that I would have calling cards made.  This is an example of what I ordered from Nella Designs on Etsy. I got 50 cards for $18.00.

I love fruity smells for the summer and I swear this smells like you smeared mango and oranges on your body.  This was $10.50 from Bath and Body Works.

I am addicted to Sobe Strawberry Kiwi “Calm-O-Mile” Lifewater. If we find this at a store, we buy all they have on their shelves. It is good stuff! Target has the best prices in our area. I can get 5 for $5.00.

Last but not least, I love the song “When Love Takes Over” by David Guetta featuring Kelly Rowland. Roll the windows down, enjoy the breeze, and blast it!

Lately death has been on my mind. It has been a running theme in every book, song, or movie, that I have come across in the last week. We watched Band of Brothers over the weekend and last night I read Elizabeth Berg’s novel, “A Year of Pleasures”.  It is the story of a widow who relocates to the Midwest after her husband’s death and what she goes through. I cried and cried as I read the book and I have decided that I have to die before my husband. I think he would handle the situation better.  In my mind, I have already scheduled his next physical, removed all fat and salt from his diet, and implemented a new walking regiment.  Something is really wrong with me. I was reading this morning about these poor people who died in an explosion at a Slim Jim plant. I am hard pressed to come up with anything more depressing than my last minutes being in a burning beef jerky plant.  Burning and drowning are just about the worst ways to die in my opinion. Not that there is a good way to die. No one wants to die, well except for martyrs.  Does anyone else fixate on crazy crap like this?

I haven’t been posting all that much lately because life has just been nuttier than a Payday bar. I am smack in the middle of the next round of fertility treatment. I have been injecting myself twice a day in addition to taking my Metformin, a fistful of vitamins and drinking gallons of Smart Water.  At times I feel like I am floating.  I am in the doctor’s office for blood work and internal sonograms every other day. I actually broke down and ordered Smart Tags for our cars because of the frequency I find us paying tolls to go to the doctor’s office. The process is draining but worth every minute! We took our nieces to see UP in 3-D this afternoon. Those kids adore my husband. He is better than a swimming pool, a swing set, and ice cream rolled together in those kids’ minds. The movie made me cry like a baby, but these days virtually anything makes me cry. My husband saved some baby ducks from a storm drain…I cried. I have given up watching the news because I cry. My brother-in-law’s 75 year old aunt, who I had never met, passed away and I cried. I have packs of tissues hidden everywhere!  We have found a new place to rent. If all goes well, movers will be packing us up in 6 weeks.  Things have not improved with the neighbor and I think I might have a criminal defense if I broke into his house and destroyed his stereo, TV, electric guitar, and amp. I might have to make restitution, but I don’t think I would get jail time.  The hormones made me do it.  In addition I have decided I need botox. I bought prescription sunglasses and I have noticed that my mark of angst has deepened. What is a mark of angst? A mark of angst is the crevice that develops between your eyes because you scrunch your forehead whenever you are angry, perplexed, frustrated, or the sun is just too bright.  My friends say this is the hormones talking and that I would never get botox, but I am not so sure about that.  So Life is busy and a little frustrating, but I am alive!

I was checking out television shows on Hulu and I came across the pilot episode for Glee.  I saw that Jane Lynch, who just makes me die laughing with her performances, was cast in the show.  Glee was created by Ryan Murphy, who created Nip/Tuck,  so I thought I would watch the show while I was doing laundry.  The show is engaging, funny, and full of amazing performances!  If FOX keeps up with the quality exhibited in the first show, this is going to be a favorite for a lot of people. If you have a spare 43 minutes check out Glee on Hulu. It is free!

photo by: (A3R)angelrravelor(A3R)

I was in the store the other day and I was drawn into a conversation with some ladies about how to cut household expenses. I told them them that one of the best ways I had cut expenses was when my husband and I got rid of cable television. We use to pay about $70 a month or $840 a year for cable. We realized that we didn’t watch it enough to make it worth the expense. We decided to cut back to basic cable which costs $15 a month or $180 a year. In addition, I take advantage of Hulu.com and abc.com to watch programs for free. We also have a lot of DVDs and our friends do as well. We started trading DVDs around, so there is plenty to watch. I no longer have Netflix because I always find something to watch in a friend’s  DVD library or even better our local library has an amazing collection of DVDs.  One lady said that her kids could not live without television and I said, “Yes, they can. Imagine what they could do with the time they are spending sitting in front of the television.”  I am not quite ready to jump to no cable at all, but I have been thinking about it.  What are you doing to save money?