The sun's still a shining

Getting into the habit of blogging regularly takes some commitment. Maybe with my shiny new iPad it'll get easier. So, the tropical holiday season has begun! I'm probably more excited about Christmas this year than I've ever been! First, it's the first Christmas I'll get to spend with my mother in over a decade! Second, my husband and I have been so incredibly blessed this year, I can't wait to share the love! The weather .is absolutely beautiful! It's been consistently in the low 80's and sunny! I don't think I could ask for better weather! Sadly. I hear it's snowing in my hometown of st Louis...boo for them, unless they like it...they can have it!

So here we are, Boris and I, sitting out on the lanai, sipping some crystal light, and enjoying God's blessing! I must admit, at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging...it's good to be me right now.

Our first Florida Halloween!

I am so excited about Halloween! I really hope we get loads of trick or treaters! I bought 9 bags of candy. I live in a small gated community and we have a few kids in the neighborhood, so HOPEFULLY we get a few! It's supposed to be a beautiful 75 degrees. We had hoped to go to Orlando for Halloween, but I was needed at my job, so I had to change my plans. But it's ok. Halloween is a kick off to the wonders of Fall.....mostly Thanksgiving. I LOVE Thanksgiving! I love the baking! I love it when people enjoy my pastries, and the look on their faces when they have a joy-gasm from my pies! Gah I love the Holidays!!!

Freaking wrinklies!

I have decided, that most of the old people in Florida have an unjustified sense of self importance. I hope I never become like that. I'm sure I'll be exactly like "Weezer" from Steel Magnolias. An angry, cynical old bitty. Truthfully, the thought of that should horrify most people, however, I find it's something to look forward to. I'm so tired of these old assholes walking around like they're the world's greatest generation...and it's called that because of them personally. Eff that! They walk at a snails pace, and leave their shopping carts dead center of the aisle....at a angle, then walk away. They stop short and block doorways to overlook the receipt at stores...not leaving out the exit...no, they're leaving out the entrance! But I get the dirty looks when I tell them to move the hell out of they way. Being old doesn't give you license to drive 10 miles an hour in a 45 zone. They come into my work, and mumble at me their order...then get pissy when I didn't hear them properly. Not to mention the mess they make on the tables....I've seen toddlers eat cleaner. Sugar packets and napkins EVERYWHERE! This is why I'd rather bake...leave me alone in the kitchen and let me do my thing. However, the career I've chosen for myself requires me to smile, and pretend these assholes are important to me, that I give a damn about their great grandkids...or that I care about the pie crust they used to make that won a pie contest in east Jesus Ohio. Or that I should make donuts.....I will NEVER make a damn donut again....don't even ask. (sigh....vent complete)  In short...I hope when it's my turn to be the world's greatest generation, I am hopefully going to remember all the things that piss me off, and not be that person.

Wishing for Fall

So...it's mid October, and yes it's still in the mid 80's.....I'm so desperate for fall weather, I've reduced myself to purchasing fake fall leaves. I long for fall. It's my favorite season, and now I'll never see it....unless I go visit it. I do adore living in Florida, and I look forward to no snow....but alas, I miss Autumn. I guess I'll appease my needs by baking fall goodies. I pulled out the crock pot and it's gonna be a pot roast and chili week. I'll turn the air conditioner down low...and pretend.

Not so Extreme Couponing

There was a time in my life when I had nothing. My husband and I had both lost our jobs and was forced to live off of credit cards. That only gets you so far when you don't even have enough money to pay the bill. This is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. It has taken literally years to bounce back from that. And truthfully, we're still coming back from it. Finally, after a lot of prayer, and trusting God, Tim and I are on our feet. It has been a long road. At the worst, we had to take cold showers because we couldn't pay the gas bill, and I sold cakes to buy groceries. But I tell you this my friend, don't feel sorry for me, God has never left me without what I needed. Through all of this we have a new outlook on life. Also a new look on what is important. When Tim and I moved to Florida, we decided this would be a new life. Start over and hand in hand embark on this adventure. The story on how we got here was a blog post in itself. One thing I promised myself when we came here was never again would I allow myself to get into that situation. Never again would we be broke anxiously awaiting the next paycheck. It's really no way to live and all I really want is security. One day I decided to check out the extreme couponing show in TLC. It was like lightening striking! I can do that! I don't want to live in a grocery store, and I don't have a need for 10,000 tubes of toothpaste, but I can scale that down to my specific needs. So, I started doing research. Most of the ladies on that show go through hundreds of sunday news inserts a week...Well, lets scale that down for my family, I buy 3, sometimes 4. My first trip to the store was so much fun. I bought enough cleaning product to last 6 months for around $20. Now, I have a closet dedicated to my stockpile, and I don't have to buy my husband razors for a year, and I have enough shampoo to last just as long. Never again will I not be able to afford shampoo. My family and I will have security. My husband has a good job, and I get to make cake for fun, not survival. And I will continue to coupon in my scaled to realistic fashion. I praise God for getting me through that time, and I won't ever take his blessings for granted. If any of you think that couponing is ridiculous, you've never been poor enough to try anything. You've never really been without. Having that little stockpile is so comforting. And the best part, anyone can do it. The Key? Stay organized. It took about a $15 dollar investment to get started and $3 a week for newspapers. I only buy the stuff that I use and need. Shampoo/Conditioner, toothpaste and tooth brushes (I keep it to a year supply), dog treats, cleaning products...any extra, I will gladly donate to homeless shelters. Food stuff is about the same. Keep it to a year supply, and donate extra. Pay it forward.

Never thought I'd have to explain that to an adult

As I've told you, I work on an island at a bakery, cafe, and coastal store. Yesterday, I was working in the store part, when two English women came up to me holding a sand dollar painted with palm trees....one of many kitchy florida crappy things we sell.
"Excuse me, what is this?" they asked
."That's a magnet" I replied
"No, I mean we saw these on the beach, they weren't painted, but they had this pretty star carving on it"
So now I was amused. Were these ladies really asking me what a sand dollar was? oh jeeze.
"Yes, that's a sand dollar...were the ones you saw on the beach White? or Brown? The white ones are dead, you can take all you want. The brown ones are still alive, so you have to leave them." I explained.
"No, these were carved, with a star symbol, and they had little slots in them...somebody carved a design in them. Who carves them and puts them back in the water?" they asked
"Um....God?"

I further explained to them that sand dollars were naturally like that, that there was nobody carving them. Oh lord. On a brighter note..they were so excited about these, that they bought a couple of our overpriced glitter sand dollars for 15 bucks a pop.
I really just wanted to go into the kitchen and bake.

Jersey Shore member need not apply

I'm both amused and annoyed by some men. I've never been popular, or pretty per-Se. I have a husband who adores me, and I'm lucky to have him. However, there are some men out there who really think they're doing me a favor by flirting with me. That's laughable. Not to mention uncomfortable. I notice it more since I lost the weight. Mostly it's men who look like they just got off the bus from the Jersey Shore. Are they trying to give fatty a thrill? Jeeze. Growing up I never got much attention from boys..and I was actually ok with that. I had a ton of guy friends, and I was fine with that too. Maybe that's why I now spend so much time in the burlesque circuit...because I have the maturity level of most teenage men. But I digress...please...Joey D....Stop hitting on me..I'm not interested. I love my husband, and unless you're Chris Evans...or Johnny Depp...or Robert Downey Jr....I'm not looking to broaden my horizons...nor will I give you free shit. FYI if you are any of THOSE men listed...I got permission from Tim :)