Thanksgiving has now come and gone. I really enjoyed mine and hope that everyone reading this had a great one as well. We ate at my mom’s house then my fiance and the kids went to his moms house for the rest of the day. I was supposed to go after a while but he never came back to pick me up (smile) I can’t complain though because it’s been a really long time since I’ve had time alone at my parent’s house and man it was nice.  The food was great and I know I have put on thirty pounds in the past couple of days (smile) so with Thanksgiving over the question is what to do with all the leftovers.

If you’re like me I have to have a Turkey sandwich before all the turkey is gone or it just doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving! I found a really neat recipe online though

Thanksgiving leftover casserole:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup finely crushed herb-seasoned dry bread stuffing mix
• 1 cup cooked, diced turkey meat
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat. Blend in the flour. Slowly stir in evaporated milk and water, then season with salt, pepper, and onion powder. Stir sauce over low heat for 5 minutes.
3. In a separate saucepan over low heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Blend in the dry stuffing mix. Place the turkey in the prepared baking dish. Pour the sauce over turkey, then sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Spread mashed potatoes over cheese. Top mashed potatoes with the stuffing mixture.
4. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven.

Sounds pretty tastey to me. I think I may have to give it a try that is unless everyone finishes off the leftover turkey tomorrow. Or wow I guess working has me confused it’s actually already today since its 4am!

I’m hoping to get my Christmas decorations done today but I don’t know. I started on them yesterday but it seemed like everything that could go wrong did and I ended up just giving up in tears. Yes it was a hormonal moment and as a woman I’m entitled to a few of those during the holidays. In a perfect world my decorations would already be up and glowing but in my world they may not make it up until Christmas eve! I just have to tell myself that it’ll be ok no matter what!

It’s finally the day before Thanksgiving! I have to say that today has been the busiest day of the month and I’m not even doing any cooking! I have spent all day cleaning up my office to make room for things that I’ll be moving out of the living room next week in order to put up all of my Christmas decorations. I’m hoping to get the tree up on Friday but that all depends on my fiance and whether or not he gets it out of the attic.

My son came home early today which threw everything off balance. My girls love him so much and when he’s home they are extra silly and loud. Today was off the charts. If you thought you were having an earthquake today no worries it was just my kids running and jumping all over the house. I told my mom it seems like I’m caught in a whirlwind just spinning around and around and it’s the honest truth. I just don’t know how to slow everything down but at least I get to go to my mom’s house tomorrow and enjoy a nice Thanksgiving meal. I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and please take time to give thanks for the many blessings that you have recieved… I know I have so much to be thankful for.

Don’t forget to get your food ready for tomorrow!!!!

Here are a few cute books to read with your little one on Thanksgiving.

• Perky Turkey’s Perfect Plan by Judy Good speed: Perky Turkey hits headlines with her perfect plan of how not to get eaten on Thanksgiving.
• I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson: This story gives a Thanksgiving twist to the old story I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
• Pilgrim’s First Thanksgiving by Ann Mcgovern: This story explains the struggles the Pilgrims faced and the events that lead to what is now known as Thanksgiving.
• The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing: Gives a Thanksgiving twist to the old story The Night Before Christmas.

Today is the big day! It’s the TURKEY RECIPE DAY! That’s right Thanksgiving is this Thursday so today will cover the turkey. I can remember the first time I cooked a turkey I was scared to death! This was a huge bird I was having to cook and gosh I was still having problems with large pieces of chicken! It didn’t help matters that my fiance wanted it done a certain way which was a little different then what I had learned. I had no idea that there was a bag in the turkey this completely changed my whole thoughts on turkeys! There was absolutely no way I was pulling any type of bag out of anywhere on that turkey! I however ended up doing it with a lot of coaching of course. I then had to pick this huge bird up and wash it, it was like giving a child a bath! After drying a little my fiance said to butter every inch of him and then use salt, pepper, and seasoning salt all over it. I am not one for getting my hands dirty so this was one of the worse parts but when I was done the bird was covered. We put him in the oven and baked him. To keep it moist I poked little slits in it using a steak knife and ever so often to pour the juices that it’s made over him, you know baste it. With the holes in the turkey (and you don’t want these to be big holes) the juices are alble to go into the turkey. No matter if you’re told this is a waste of time or not I’ve cooked and eaten a lot of turkey’s and this works to make a moist turkey.

Here are a couple of good sites to check out if you have never cooked a turkey. The sites cover everything!

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1197/perfturk.html

http://recipes.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Cooking_Turkey

Roasting a Turkey

Roast the turkey uncovered at a temperature ranging from 325°F to 350°F. Higher temperatures may cause the meat to dry out, but this is preferable to temperatures that are too low which may not allow the interior of the turkey to cook to a safe temperature. Some cooks prefer to roast the turkey at temperatures as high as 450°F to 500°F for the first 30 minutes in order to brown the surface. The heat is then reduce to 325°F for the remainder of the cooking time. It is important to keep the oven door closed as much as possible while the turkey is roasting to maintain a constant temperature within the oven. Basting a turkey provides a crispy, golden skin, but it does not add moisture or flavor to the interior of the turkey. Basting should be kept to a minimum so that the oven door is not opened too often. The more times the oven door is opened, the longer the cooking time will be because of heat loss within the oven. Aluminum foil can be tented over the turkey near the end of the cooking time to keep the skin from becoming too brown. Use a meat thermometer to determine the proper doneness, which is at least 170°F for the breast and 180°F for the thigh. After removing the turkey from the oven, the temperature of the meat will increase by about 5° as the turkey rests. It is important that the turkey is not overcooked, because the breast meat may dry out quickly. After the turkey is removed from the oven and before the turkey is carved, allow it to rest at least 20 minutes so that the juices settle within the meat, which provides the meat with more flavor and tenderness and will also make carving much easier. More or less time may be allotted depending on the size of the turkey. Large lifting forks, such as those shown in the picture at the right, should be used to remove the turkey from the roasting pan. This isn’t a recipe I follow but it does go step by step of how to cook the turkey. If you visit the site it will walk you through it from the beginning of cleaning the turkey. My suggestion is to follow a recipe to a point but you have to find your own grove when cooking anything. Find YOUR recipe and go with it. http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-tips/t–412/Roasting-Turkey.asp

It’s been a really busy week and I’ve been a little off on writing but hopefully everything is calming down now. I can’t believe Thanksgiving is next week! I’m already tasting the Turkey. YUMMY!  I’ve never been much on expensive decorations or having to spend millions of dollars on buying the newest decorations, I was raised knowing that what was homemade made the home more special. Here are a few ideas that can help you make your Thanksgiving a little more special this year and even include the kids.

(from http://familyfun.go.com/)

Autumn Leaf Place Mats CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Glue or glue stick
	Construction paper
	Acrylic paint and brushes
	Con-Tact paper
	Scissors
	Leaves
	Camera
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Start with a pile of leaves, some energetic kids and a camera. After the pictures are developed, pick one that captures the spirit of the day and glue it onto a place mat-sized piece of paper.
2. Decorate the border with drawings or leaf prints (lightly paint the back of a leaf with acrylic paint, then press onto the paper).
3. Once dry, laminate with clear Con-Tact paper or, for about $3 each, splurge and have the place mats professionally laminated at a copy shop.

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Pinecone Photo Holder  CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Large pinecone
	Photo or printout (or, if you don’t have one yet, an index card)
	Corrugated cardboard base
	Twigs, acorns, and other natural treasures
	Glue (we used Aleene’s Original Tacky Glue)
Time needed: About 1 Hour

1. Start by inserting the photo, printout or index card into the pinecone so that it stands up straight.
2. Set it on a corrugated cardboard base, arrange twigs, acorns, and other natural treasures around it, and fix everything in place with glue. Trim the base as desired.

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FOR THE TABLE TOP

Apple Candlesticks

This unusual table centerpiece is ephemeral — but it’s beautiful while it lasts.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Large Rome Beauty apples (that will stand straight on the table)
	Candles
	Waxed paper
	Potato peeler
	Lemon juice
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Using an apple corer, make a hole about halfway through the middle of an apple. Make the hole as straight as possible and remove the core piece.
2. Insert a candle into the hole. It should fit tightly; if the hole is too large, wrap waxed paper around the candle’s end.
3. Older kids can decorate the apples by carefully carving designs in the skins with the tip of a potato peeler (to prevent the designs from turning brown, rub them with lemon juice).
4. Arrange the candleholders in a circle on a plate or cutting board.

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Pilgrim Hat Centerpiece

Filled with potted mums or other fall flowers, this fun centerpiece will top off your Thanksgiving table in fitting fashion.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Black felt, square yard
	Terra-cotta pot
	Permanent red marker
	Black poster board
	Carpet tape
	Yellow poster board
Time needed: About 1 Hour

1. Tape a square yard of black felt to your work surface and set a terra-cotta pot (ours is 7 inches tall and 7 1/2 inches across) on its side at one edge of the felt, as shown. Roll the pot, tracing along the top and bottom edges with a permanent red marker as you go, then cut out the felt arc.
2. Next, cut two 15-inch circles, one from black poster board, the other from the remaining black felt. Set the pot upside down in the center of the poster board circle, trace around its rim, then cut out the inner circle to create a large ring. Now trace the rim of the pot in the center of the felt circle and cut an asterisk in the center, as specified.
3. Tape the felt circle atop the poster board ring. Set the bottom of the pot on the asterisk and slide the brim up to the rim of the pot. Attach strips of carpet tape to the outside of the pot, then tape one end of the felt arc to the side and wrap the arc around the pot, sticking it to the tape.
4. Trim away any excess felt. For the finishing touch, tape on a buckle cut from yellow poster board.

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Thankful Tree

This project makes a wonderful annual tradition that your family can really grow into.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Flowerpot
	Art sand (sold at craft supply stores)
	Bare tree branch
	Colored craft foam
	Scissors
	Permanent marker
	Large ornament hanger or straightened paper clip
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Fill a flowerpot with sand and set in a shapely bare tree branch.
2. Next, cut a pile of leaf shapes from colored craft foam.
3. As your guests arrive, have them take a leaf and, with a permanent marker, write their name and the date on one side and something they’re grateful for on the other.
4. To decorate your tree, push a large ornament hanger or straightened paper clip through the stem of each leaf and hang it in place.

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Pilgrim Place Cards

Here’s a pop-up card design your kids can use to transform their thumbprints into Pilgrim portraits that resemble your dinner guests. Then everyone can find his or her place, and face, at the dinner table.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
	Card stock
	Scissors
	Pencil
	Tempera paint
	Colored markers
	Gold glitter glue
	Craft knife
Time needed: Under 1 Hour

1. Cut out a 5-by-4-inch rectangle from the card stock for each place card, plus one extra. Fold each card in half so that the 4-inch edges meet, and flatten the crease. Then reopen all of the cards.
2. In the center of the extra card, draw a Pilgrim hat, positioning it so that the top is above the fold and the brim is just below it, as shown. Cut it out and use it as a template, tracing it in pencil onto the centers of the remaining cards (again, trace the top of each hat above the fold and the brim just below it).
3. Once all of the hats are drawn, have your child lightly coat her thumb with skin-toned tempera paint and print a Pilgrim’s head below each hat (have her practice a few times on scrap paper first).
4. When the paint is dry, your child can use the markers to color in the hats, draw on collars, add facial features and hairdos that resemble those of specific family members, and print their names. Then she can adorn each hat with a glitter-glue buckle.
5. Finally, use the craft knife (this is a parent’s job) to cut along the outer edge of each hat top but not around the brim. Refold the cards, gently pulling up the hat tops to stand upright, as shown, and they’re ready to set in place on the dinner table.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons apple juice or cider
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:

Arrange sliced sweet potatoes, apples, and raisins in a buttered 2-quart baking dish. Mix together honey, apple juice, and butter. Pour over sweet potato mixture. Cover and bake candied sweet potatoes at 350° for 30 to 45 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender and glazed. Recipe for candied sweet potatoes serves 6.

Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 4 cups cooked green beans
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 1/3 cups French fried onions

Preparation:

Mix soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup of the fried onions. Bake for about 25 minutes at 350 degrees F. Top with the remaining 2/3 cup fried onions and bake about 5 more minutes, until onions are lightly browned.
Serves 6.

Yellow Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked, drained, and mashed yellow summer squash
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup melted butter, divided
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• salt and pepper

Preparation:

Butter a 1 to 1 1/2-quart casserole. Heat oven to 350°. In a bowl, blend mashed squash with mayonnaise, chopped onion, beaten egg, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, and the 1/2 cup of the Cheddar cheese. Spoon the mixture into prepared casserole. Top the casserole with the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Toss the bread crumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter; spread over the casserole. Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and lightly browned.
Serves 4.

Mac and Cheese

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• dash ground cayenne pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 6 eggs, separated

Preparation:

Macaroni and Cheese Directions:
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and set aside. Melt butter over medium heat in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Blend in flour, salt and peppers; stir well. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Continue cooking and stirring until thickened; remove from heat and add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Beat egg yolks until light; quickly stir into cheese sauce. Mix macaroni with cheese sauce. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; fold into macaroni mixture. Transfer mixture to a large (3-quart) casserole. Bake at 475° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 400° and bake 25 minutes longer.
Macaroni and cheese recipe serves 6 to 8.

It’s 5am and I’m working, I’ve been working since 3am and still have a few hours to go. I’d really rather be sleeping! I guess work has gone pretty good this morning so I really can’t complain except for the fact that when I first started this job I bought a headset from boom.com which cancels background noise better then any other headset I’ve ever used, well my cat ate through the wire! That’s right she ate my headset so now I am using just the phone and hoping that my kids don’t wake up during a call because if they do I will have to sign off of work. My parents are going to try to fix them otherwise I’ll have to get an early Christmas present and get another pair.

I did however order my usb headset for the new job I’m training for. I got it off of EBAY for less then $12. I’m just waiting for it now and hoping it gets here in time.  I haven’t killed the cat over my headset but boy was I mad at her!

On a mommy note: I have spent a year cooking on a little burner, you know the little two burner electric ones that you can use camping. Well that’s how I’ve cooked our meals for a whole year! We bought a stove when we first moved into this house a year ago but it’s never worked. We hooked it up but it just didn’t work and we have had so much go wrong with this house that we haven’t been able to get it fixed. Well yesterday I received a new stove from two people who love me very much! (I won’t give out names because then everyone will be knocking on their door wanting something SMILE) but I hope they know how grateful I am because I hate cooking on that little burner with a passion! Now I will be able to actually cook several things at one time, I won’t have to boil water for two hours just to get one bubble to form, and I will be able to server a hot meal instead of serving half hot and half cold because of not having enough room to cook everything at once! Plus I will finally be able to bake again! I’m so excited and so very thankful to have people in my life that are so giving. I hope one day I am able to repay all the blessings that have come into my life from family and friends.

Why is it that kids never want or need you until you are on the phone? I mean it never fails, the phone rings and no matter how many times I tell my kids to be quiet they will stand here in my face and constantly talk about something, fuss, yell, or want to talk to Nana. They automatically assume if I’m on the phone then I’m talking to my mom.

It’s not the greatest thing when I’m talking to our light company and my daughters are throwing a fit because I won’t let them talk to “nana” and they don’t buy that it’s not her I’m talking to. Sometimes I just want to say “excuse me Mr. customer service representative could you please say hello to my daughters so they will actually be quiet for five minutes!”

I was on the phone today with my mom and the girls were supposed to be cleaning up. They were doing more yelling and crying then cleaning so I told them that they could cry until the cows come home it didn’t matter they were going to clean up… what does my brilliant two year old say to me in return? “The cows, I WANT TO SEE A COW” I kid you not this child was dancing all around wanting to see a cow. She had to get her lack of sense from her father (smile). 

I know that I should have stopped the whole phone ordeal before it started but it’s just so much easier to allow them to talk to whoever you are on the phone with for five seconds then to listen to them scream for an hour because you told them no. Isn’t that always the case though. I guess I’m finding out after three kids that somewhere in the phone battle I lost the fight.

A few tips for keeping kids quiet while you’re on the phone

• Find a game, toy, or movie that keeps them busy. The best thing to do is have something that they don’t normally play with so they aren’t already bored with it.
• Use a noise canceling headset. I work from home so I have one of these for my job but I have to say there have been numerous times I’ve used it for personal calls also.
• Try not to stay on the phone for long periods of time otherwise the kids are going to want your attention and get rowdy. Pay lots of attention to them when you are off the phone and be sure to explain to them to be quiet when you are on the phone so they will understand what is being done.

Before I get started let me say Happy Veteran’s Day! To all who have served we thank you for the sacrifices you have made for our country. May God bless each and every one of you.

I had my interview Monday for the new work at home job and it went really well. I was so nervous all for nothing. The job will pay $7 an hour for daytime shifts and $9 an hour for night time hours, which is what I’ll have to work. You also get bonuses for making a sale, making an upsell, and getting the rush shipping sale! It’s basically doing the same thing as I do now with my at home job except I’ll get paid bonuses. I start training on the 17th and I have to say I’m a little worried about how it’ll all work out. The training is Monday thru Friday 5pm-9pm except on Wednesday it’s 11am to 3pm. It’s over the computer and phone so I’m worried that I won’t be able to do it with the kids running around. That’s the downside to working from home. I guess it’ll all work out one way or the other. If it’s meant to be then it’ll all fall into place somehow. I have to take a test on the Friday after training in order to start working I have to pass the test. That really puts the pressure on! I believe there is also a role playing part of the training which I’ve done before with my current job but I hate doing it with a passion.

I figure I’m not the only one in the world dealing with the fear of interviews and training for a new job so here are some tips to help not only myself but hopefully anyone else going through the samething.

Most interviews for work at home jobs are done over the phone so that’s what I’ll focus on.

If you’re meeting over the phone: http://www.homebasedwork.com/employer/interviewskills.shtml

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• Present yourself confidently. Keep your voice steady and clear. Don’t speak so softly that the interview has to keep asking you to repeat yourself … but don’t bellow, either.
• Have a copy of your cover letter and resume in front of you. This will help you when the interviewer starts to go over your resume with you.
• Prepare questions and answers before your interview. Research the company so that you are familiar with what they do. Be well prepared with relevant questions about the job. Likewise, be well prepared with answers to questions you think may be asked of you.
• Try to relax. Try not to stutter or speak in a stiff, overly formal tone.
• Don’t act too familiar. Don’t lapse into inappropriate slang and don’t swear.
• Be on time. When your interviewer sets a date and time for your phone interview, make sure the line is free so that he or she can get through.
• Don’t misrepresent yourself. Be honest. Don’t give yourself experience or skills you don’t have, and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Both you and the company want someone who fits well into that particular job position. If you misrepresent yourself, they could end up being unhappy with you, you could end up unhappy with the job, or both.
• Emphasize your strengths. You want to let your interview know what makes you such a good candidate for the job.
• Be a good listener. Don’t interrupt constantly.

Role Playing

Role playing is like the dress rehearsal before the big performance. It’s where you and another person or people (most of the time a manager or someone who has been on the job for a while) act out what you will be doing on your job. You go over several different senarios while one person acts as the customer and the other person acts as the salesman (at least it’s sales in my case but in other jobs it would be whatever fits that position). By role playing an employee gets the feel of the job. It helps to eliminate shyness or nervousness that may occur as a new employee. It’s a time to learn what to do in different situations so that if that situation was to occur on the job then you won’t be dumbfounded. Role playing is one of the most disliked forms of training because the thought of acting out a situation with others listening or watching makes people nervous. I know for myself I don’t like acting out a situation with someone who knows exactly what I should or shouldn’t be doing and saying when I don’t really know it myself.

The best way to get over role playing fear is to look at it as a game. It’s a learning experience that will not only provide you with great information needed for your job but it helps you to be more confident in your job. Confidence and knowledge leads to a great worker and possible money making opportunities.

In a few weeks Thanksgiving will be here. All diets go out the door, and yummy food hits tables across the globe! Well at least it will in my family! I absolutely love Thanksgiving. I wait all year just to taste all the delicious food and complain about the pounds I put on while shoving more in my mouth. This month will be Thanksgiving meal ideas to help everyone get ready for the big feast! Of course my favorite part of Thanksgiving is the desserts so we’ll start with those. (smile)

Pumpkin Pie (http://www.basic-recipes.com/thanks/recipe055.htm)

2 eggs, beaten 1 can pumpkin 3/4 cup of sugar 1/2 teaspoon of salt 1/2 teaspoon of  pumpkin pie spice 1/2 teaspoon of ginger 1/2 teaspoon of cloves 1 cup of evaporated milk 1 cup of chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 450ºF.   Mix above ingredients in 1 slightly baked 9 inch pie shell. Top with 1 cup chopped nuts. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350ºF. and bake 45 minutes.

Note: It says it will make 1 pie but I have found that it will really make 2 very easily and even those who do not normally like pumpkin pies will like this one.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (http://www.basic-recipes.net/holiday/recipes/thanksgiving_pumpkin_cheesecake_20081027.htm)

1 cup of graham cracker crumbs (about 20 sq.)
1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup of unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup of sugar

Use less if you wish to line the bottom of the pan only.

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FILLING:four (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
6 eggs, room temperature
one 15 - 16 ounce can of pumpkin
1 3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of cloves
1/4 teaspoon of saltPreheat oven to 325ºF.  In blender or food processor, grind graham crackers to fine crumbs. In a bowl, mix crumbs and remaining crust ingredients with a fork until well blended. Pour into a 9-10 inch springform pan. Using back of spoon, press crumbs onto bottom and up sides of pan to within 1 inch from top. Set aside.In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and beat at high speed for 2 minutes until slightly whipped. Pour into crumb-lined pan. Bake 1 hour and 30 minutes until lightly golden on top. Turn off oven and let cake stand in oven for 60 minutes. Remove cake from oven; cool completely and chill overnight before serving. Makes 16 servings.

Pecan Pie

http://busycooks.about.com/od/sweetpierecipes/r/bestpecanpie.htm)

Ingredients:

• 9″ pie shell
• 2 cups pecan halves
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla (yes, one tablespoon!)
• 1/2 cup pecan halves

Preparation:

Place 2 cups pecan halves on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degrees F oven for 8-12 minutes, shaking the pan once during baking time, until the pecans are fragrant. Let cool completely, then coarsely chop.

When ready to make the pie, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place unbaked pie crust in freezer until ready to bake. Then line pie crust with aluminum foil and pie weights or dried beans. Bake pie shell until set, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake 2-3 minutes longer until crust is just beginning to brown on the edges.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat; mix in sugars and salt with wire whisk until butter is absorbed and mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the two kinds of corn syrup and vanilla.

Place saucepan over very low heat. Cook and stir constantly with wire whisk until mixture is hot and looks shiny, about 6-7 minutes. You have to stir constantly so the mixture cooks evenly and the eggs don’t scramble on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat and strain into a large bowl, then stir in the cooled, toasted pecans.

As soon as the pie shell comes out of the oven, decrease oven temperature to 300 degrees. Pour pecan mixture into hot pie crust. Place pecan halves on top of the filling.

Bake the pie until center feels set but soft when gently pressed, and moves slightly when gently jiggled, about 40-55 minutes. You may need to cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent over browning, or cover the top of the pie with foil so it doesn’t get too brown. Transfer pie to wire rack and let cool completely, at least 4 hours. Best eaten within 12 hours. Serves 6-8

It’s thirty minutes before my kids go to bed and they are seriously running around screaming, pulling each-others hair, pushing, and doing everything under the moon to drive me crazy!  I have to go to work at 3am and I had the interview for the new job rescheduled for Monday. I really wonder if I’m crazy for wanting to add another job onto my plate. I feel like I’m running on empty as it is but in my mind I know if I slow down I am going to lose my mind. To take five minutes and think would bring me to tears. Do you ever feel that way? I mean there are so many things going wrong that if I take time and focus on them it will literally drive me over the edge. I understand why now some people become workaholics, it’s so much easier to keep yourself busy then to focus on everything that’s going on in your life at times. Between trying to be a good fiance, mother, and provider I don’t have time to think about anything else and I guess as much as I fuss about it I would rather have it that way.   I’m hoping I get this new job because I hear the money is pretty good and with bills and Christmas a pay raise would be great.

I have been looking into getting my daughter into school. Of course she is four and should be starting kindergarten next August but they have now changed the birthday time to start kindergarten from October to August! Brianna’s birthday is in September! It really makes me mad because she’s so ready for school plus it would put a year in between her and our youngest child. Now they will be going back to back!  I don’t understand why things have to change constantly why not just leave things the way the have been for years? I really think people who make these changes don’t even have kids! They say it’s because they don’t want so many four year olds in school now because they aren’t ready… whatever! Kids now are so much smarter and half of them are “ready” when they are two and three years old! I have called to see if there is anything I can do about sending her on since it’s only a month difference but I was told the only thing to do is send her to preschool. Well in any other city that would be fine but around here preschool isn’t anything but a daycare in disguise. I am not placing my child in a daycare when she should be in school. So I’ve decided that since she will be five and my youngest will be three they will both be at a good age to go through a school routine. I already go over things with them but I think I’m going to look into a homeschool preschool program. If my baby can’t go to school then she’s going to be the smartest baby in kindergarten in 2010!