The Great American Smokeout was held yesterday, November 19, 2009, wherein smokers join together to quit smoking or using tobacco products of any kind at least for the one day. Funny thing is, I already quit smoking and didn’t even know about the “smokeout” until this morning when I heard about it online.

I’ve lost track of how many times I have tried to quit smoking, but nothing seemed to stick. The various stop smoking aids like Chantix pills scare the beejeebers out of me, and the nicotine patch was never something I wanted to try either. Why? Because trying to quit smoking with the “help” of products that have nicotine in them doesn’t make any sense to me. Nicotine addiction is what keeps smokers smoking, so it makes no sense to me to attempt to quit smoking and rid myself of nicodine addiction by continuing to take nicotine into my body.
Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve heard the phrase “it’s the thought that counts” in regards to gift giving for so many years, you might think I actually buy into what that rather famous quote means. But I’m not sure I really believe that it’s the thought that counts rather than the price tag and quantity of gifts given at Christmastime or Birthdays or any other special occasion or holiday.

Call me Scrooge, but Christmas this year is going to be unlike previous Christmases because Grandpa and I have had it up to here with ungrateful, unappreciative, selfish-minded people who seem to think we have SANTA stamped on our foreheads.

Maybe there was a time, many years ago, when buying a gift for someone was based solely on well thought out searches for a gift based on what the person likes and enjoys without much thought about the price tag. That is the kind of Christmas shopping I always enjoyed, putting a lot of thought into whatever gift I chose for someone on our gift list, but just the mere thought of buying Christmas presents this year makes me wonder What the hell for?
Read the rest of this entry »

Did you know there are health benefits of drinking coffee and tea? I drink coffee and tea nearly every day, amongst other things of course, but I’ve noticed there is a lot of discussion going on about coffee addiction and people feeling like they need to give up coffee altogether. Don’t drink coffee? Why?

Why should I give up coffee and tea just because there is caffeine in tea and coffee? I don’t believe I drink too much caffeine type drinks at all, and I don’t experience any of the caffeine withdrawal symptoms or side effects others have been talking about, so what is the problem with coffee?

Almost every morning, the first thing I do is start up the ol coffee maker and enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee or two, and it doesn’t matter one bit if the weather is hot or cold outside. I like hot coffee in the summer months just as much as I like my coffee in the cold winter months, and every cup of coffee I drink tastes good to the very last drop. I don’t need coffee – I want coffee because it tastes good to me.
Read the rest of this entry »

Christmas will be here before you know it, and if you like Gooseberry Patch Christmas cookbooks loaded with great country recipes as much as I do, you will love the new Gooseberry Patch cookbook. As a mother and grandma, cooking is not just a necessity but is also one of many fun activities or hobbies to be enjoyed. When I discovered the Gooseberry Patch company a few years ago, I was immediately hooked on the delicious recipes found in all the cookbooks I could find to buy.

Needless to say, I’ve been starting my own collection of Gooseberry Patch cookbooks that I will have a great time experimenting with when the kids and grandkids come over. Since I’m an avid reader of books of all kinds, especially cookbooks with great recipes and stories, I was thrilled to receive my very first cookbook by Gooseberry Patch.

I have so many recipe cards filling recipe boxes in what I jokingly refer to as “Grandma’s Kitchen”, I really need to take the time to use the organizer I bought from Gooseberry Patch, and then choose a couple of my best recipes to send to Gooseberry Patch for possible inclusion in their next cookbook.
Read the rest of this entry »

The Gooseberry Patch calendar is on the top of my list of favorite things from the Gooseberry Patch company, and now the 12-month 2010 wall calendar and appointment scheduling calendar are available. This year’s calendar is filled with tried and true (and delicious!) recipes, with unique recipe ideas surrounded by unforgettable watercolors throughout the calendar, with plenty of room to jot down special occasions and dates to remember.

Since I couldn’t decide between the 12-month Gooseberry Patch wall calendar and the appointment calendar, I ultimately decided to buy both calendars since I always carry a planner or appointment scheduler in my purse. Since Christmas is coming and a few people I know love to cook and have started a collection of cookbooks, I’ll be buying a few cookbooks from Gooseberry Patch as gifts for them as well.

Have you heard about the Gooseberry Patch company yet? Gooseberry Patch is a thriving mail-order company based in Delaware, Ohio. Neighbors Vickie Hutchins and Jo Ann Martin founded Gooseberry Patch in 1984 over the backyard fence even though neither had any business experience; Martin was a first-grade teacher and Hutchins was a flight attendant & legal secretary. Let that be a lesson to you: always follow your dreams, and don’t let anyone tell you your dreams aren’t worth chasing.
Read the rest of this entry »