Lovin' from my oven....

So I got the name and address of the next soldier I’m baking goodies for thru Operation Baking GALS. I was blown away that my box of baked goods this month will be going to a hospital over in Iraq for some of our Wounded Warriors. WOW---what an honor! You better believe I’m packing some extra goodies so hopefully they can all enjoy a little ‘love and healing’ from this side of the world. What better 'bandage' is there than a homemade chocolate chip cookie??!! I can’t imagine being away from home during the holidays much less injured, ailing and halfway across the world all at the same time…..and they do it ALL for us! *sigh* It just makes my heart swell. Then you have the famlies who are here keeping the homefires burning, worrying about them. Again....WOW. 'Thank you' just doesn't seem like enough.

Sisterhood of the Shrinking Pants---BLT's count!

As we are rolling into the holiday time of year, it is one of the biggest struggle-times for those trying to lose weight. Halloween is first, then Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Add to that, that it is fall time. A comfort food time-of-year if there ever was one! There are ways to navigate these temptation landmines!

I’m gonna turn you onto another one of my favorite weight loss on-line gurus. Her name is Janice Taylor and she runs the “Kick in the Tush” club. She pulls no punches and tells it like it is when it comes to losing and maintaining. Click HERE to go to the blog portion of her website.

Last week it was about “BLT’s”…..Bite, Licks & Tastes Count! And it is so true. I’m a baker who had to learn that that batter I was tasting, counts. The cookie or brownie I just baked, counts! That leftover chicken nugget off your kids dinner plate--even a bite of one—COUNTS! Those “BLT’s” add up fast!!!! I don’t remember where I found this list, but it’s called “Calories Don’t Count When….” Do you see yourself any any of these?? Have you ever said any of these?

"Calories Don’t Count When...”
….it’s the middle of the night (it’s not today and it’s not tomorrow)
….it was on the plate of someone else
….it’s consumed with diet soda
….your Mom or Grandma made the food
….it’s in some form of salad
….we have recently had problems with members of the opposite sex
….it includes whole grains (or is brownish at least)
….it is in liquid form of any kind (anything that can get thru a straw is calorie free!)
….it’s a free sample at a store
….it’s small and cute like an hors d’oeuvres at a cocktail party
….it’s really fancy and well made and not something you get every day
….when it benefits Girl Scouts or any other non profit

Last week Janice talked about cleaning out your pantry. If it’s not in your house, you won’t eat it. Very true! I know, right now, you are saying, but my husband and kids like it. You know—if it’s junk food, you won’t hurt them by removing it from their diets too. You’ll actually be doing them a favor!

Hallelujah, Janice!!!! Do yourself the favor—bookmark Janice Taylors blog and read it every day. Hey, it's free! She is GREAT at keeping me motivated and reminds me of the ever present dangers that will keep me from losing or cause me to gain it back! She will do the same for you. I have many of her entries printed out and posted on my refrigerator at home as not-so-gentle reminders to stay on track! Stay strong my sistahs (and brothas)! You can start the new year lighter than you are right now. And what a major accomplishment THAT will be!!!!

I love you this much....

I am on what is called “The Creative Team” at my church. Twice a month we meet and plan out the ‘creative’ stuff that will happen during each church service. Whether it is a video, a dramatic read, a play, whatever….that’s what we are charged with. The past few weeks, the pastor has been talking about betrayal and how to get thru it and move on. The sermon this week was “Go to Pieces or Go in Peace”. I suggested weeks ago using the Jimmy Wayne video for his song “I Love You This Much” for this series and they loved it. Yep, this is the same Jimmy Wayne who just had a #1 hit with the song “Do You Believe Me Now?”. Do you know Jimmy’s story? He was abandoned by his father when he was a baby, his mother was in and out of prison a few times. His stepfather….well let me let Jimmy finish this: (from his bio) 'Jimmy recalls visiting his mother in the hospital on Mother’s Day after his stepfather had stabbed her. On another occasion, his stepfather got into an argument with Jimmy’s older brother and shot his brother’s wife, who was paralyzed from the incident. The night before that shooting, he almost killed Jimmy. “We were driving and he pulled over to the side of the road and he said, ‘Load this gun,’” recalls Jimmy. “I loaded it and he started mumbling and started punching me. He took the gun and stuck it up to my head and something told me to move. When I moved, he shot a hole in the window of the car. I got out and ran. The next night he ended up shooting my brother’s wife.” ' Jimmy was in and out of foster care and eventually was adopted by a wonderful couple, who have since passed on, but they are the ones who gave Jimmy a loving and Christian home to finally grow up in. I’ve known Jimmy for many years and he is an amazing soul. He is just a fantastic guy who deserves every great thing that is coming his way right now!

ANYWAY.....“I Love You This Much” is a song Jimmy wrote many years ago about his relationship (or lack of) with his biological father. Well this past Sunday when Jimmy's video played on the big video screens in the church sanctuary, I looked around and saw people crying while they watched. I was blown way. There were some people there that day who saw themselves in that video. A couple of church members shared their stories of abuse and how they have forgiven and moved on. They thank God for their lot in life, as bad as it may have been, because they are better, stronger and more compassionate people for what they've gone through--and they ARE. I read a book recently that will help you tremendously with letting go of that pain and hurt, learning to forgive and beginning to heal, if you'd like to give it a read. It's by Joyce Meyer and it's called Beauty For Ashes. Joyce was sexually abused as a child at the hands of her father....she knows what she is writing about! It's an amazing book.

You know, we’ve all been betrayed at some point in our lives—whether at work, by a friend, by a spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, family, whatever. I hope this Jimmy Wayne video brings you a little sliver of peace and maybe it will move you closer to the ability to let go of the past and start healing. But most of all--know that you are loved. Remember--don’t go to pieces---go in peace, my friends.

Jimmy Wayne “I Love You This Much” video
Jimmy’s latest #1!!! “Do You Believe Me Now” video

Operation Baking Gals

Operation Baking GALS—(GALS is not a gender thing. It stands for Give A Little Support, so you guys sign up too) is a group of volunteer bakers who bake and ship homemade goodies to our heroic troops that are currently deployed. Each soldier is "Hosted" by a blogger, and potential bakers are "recruited" from the bloggers own site as well as the GALS site. Each Host recruits between 20-25 bakers, meaning LOTS of goodies get delivered to our soldier...so many, in fact that he or she has plenty to share with their fellow troops!

Here’s the deal—We bake and ship once a month. You re-sign up every month you want/can bake. That way if you get busy, no worries, just come back when you can! You can bake whatever will ship well--cookies, bars, brownies, breads, etc. The post office will give you a free box if you ask for a “APO” box. It has a flat shipping rate, so shipping a large box will cost you $10.95 to ship. The small box runs you $9.95, I think. (Full instructions on how to pack and ship overseas is on the Operation Baking GALS website). So for a little investment time-wise and $10 bux--you are gonna give a military person such a great warming in the tummy and in the heart!!! You can include a nice note in the box too, which I love to do!!! This is such a great way to show your support with a box of love from ‘home’…..again….visit the website to read more.

And thank you in advance for signing up!!!!

Harvest time...

The family and I are going pumpkin hunting this weekend. I buy lots of pumpkins. I usually carve 4-5, yes, 4-5. Then I buy some purposefully to leave whole, so they’ll stay fresh thru Thanksgiving and then there are the little mini pumpkins that I use as decoration around the house. Even though my husband continually asks while we’re pumpkin shopping “how many more pumpkins are you gonna buy??!!” he does like how they look when they are carved up and placed around the house.

Last Halloween, I saw pumpkins outside a house in my neighborhood where they had used mardi gras masks on them. Way cool looking and no carving needed! Might have to try that one year…….Last year one of my carvings was “The Cannibal Pumpkin”. Click here to see the picture that inspired that. That was just dang funny. Might do that one again this year. And by the way, for your carving, if you are not using the Pumpkin Masters tools---you should! I'm amazed at how these little saws and such make carving so easy! You can pick them up anywhere--drugstore, dept. stores, hardware stores.....


……and I can’t talk about pumpkins and Halloween without giving a nod to my favorite yearly must watch “It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”. I don't know when it's on this month, but I'll be watching!!!

My first time....

Remember your first? Your first car? Your first apartment? Your first date? Well, maybe not the same importance in the grand scheme of life, but this is my first blog on here. Oh there will be various things that will come up here. Family, life, recipes, friends....

So let me start by introducing myself to you. I'm Morgan, wife to Sal, mom to Cassie, "mom" to my 2 cats Leo and Casper and usually a tankful of fish. I am a Christian--my spiritual intensity has grown a lot over the past couple of years. I love my church and those who attend it and I have become very involved in everything they have to offer. I love football and hockey. I love driving my sportscar (when I can afford the gas). I love gardening--flowers and vegetables. I LOVE to cook. So much so, that I do catering as a part-time job on the side. I hate to call it a job, because it doesn't feel like that to me. I would could cook all day, everyday if someone let me. I love the whole process of not only creating a recipe from start to finish, but I like taking existing recipes and 'twisting' them a little to make them my own. I believe a 'foodie' blog will be next in my near future!

Fall is my favorite season of the year. I get very 'nesty' during fall time. I like being home, having the fire going, being with my family, decorating for the various holidays. That's what my daughter, Cassie and I did yesterday. We dragged out our Halloween decor and decorated the house. I love doing that type of stuff with her. She's old enough now (10) where all I do is pull the containers out and she does all the decorating. I think she gets alot of confidence in the fact that I let her just do what she wants. She thinks I'm more 'Martha Stewart' than I really am. I don't feel the need to go back behind her and move stuff around....unless it's in a precarious spot where a cat could knock something over or pull it off the counter. Her favorite thing is changing out the refrigerator magnets. I can turn anything into a refrigerator magnet. I pick up random things at Michaels' craft store, slap a magnet on it and voila'! it's a magnet. So we have the really scary spiders that were sold as a halloween decoration--I snipped the wire off the back, hot-glued a magnet on the belly of the spider and they are now 2 of my favorite magnets. Because of discovering how easy this is--I have magnets for every season of the year--winter, summer, spring, fall AND Easter, Halloween, St. Patricks' Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, oy---the list goes on and on. But I love them and so does my daughter. So easy, so cheap to make, yet so fun to look at every year they come out of hiding.

I have to go and finish dinner. Will check in with you later!