Ahhhhhh….Pumpkin

I was thinking about Halloween today and how different it is these days. When I was a kid, everyone on the block went trick or treating. Mom and dad at stayed home and handed out the candy. My sisters, brother and I would dress up in our costumes and head down the street. Kids were everywhere and they felt safe when they went out. We had little paper bags to put our candy in. When the bags got full we would go home, sort thru the bags, and give mom the candy we didn’t like so she could give it out. We had so much fun. Back in those days you didn’t have to worry about kidnappings, tainted candy and etc.

When I was a little older everything changed. A young boy died, on Halloween, from a poisoned pixie stick. It turned out that the child was poisoned by his own dad, Ronald Clark O’Brien. How can a father kill his own son for Insurance money? This man lived in a suburb of our town and the story made National Headlines. Mr. O’Brien was sentenced to life in prison. Halloween was never the same after that. No longer could people hand out home made cookies or Carmel apples. Pixie Sticks were rarely seen again. It became common knowledge that you could take your Halloween candy to the hospital and have it x-rayed.

Now days children don’t trick or treat by themselves, parents are seen walking a short distance away. People are advised to take their children to houses of neighbors they know and trust. In the last several years, we have seen more church parties and carnivals. Individually wrapped candy is the advised way to go. Don’t forget to carry that flashlight or wear a light stick. It would be terrible if one of the children got run over. Yes, Halloween is definitely different! I think I liked it better in the old days.

Did you know: 25% of the candy made each year – almost two billion dollars’ worth – is sold for Halloween. 90% of parents admit to dipping into their kids’ trick-or-treat bag.
What is a ghost’s favorite article of clothing? ….Boo jeans!

Did you know? One cup of canned pumpkin provides:
448% of your daily vitamin A - 16% of your daily vitamin C - 40% of your daily fiber - 28% of your daily potassium - 8% of your daily calcium - 7% of your daily iron

Lackluster complexion: Try a Pumpkin Mask! Why: Vitamins and antioxidants in pumpkin smooth and heal skin, as well as brighten the surface. To do: Mix 1 cup canned mashed pumpkin with 2/3 cup mashed papaya (it contains the enzyme papain, which dissolves oil and dead skin cells). Apply to clean, dry face. Leave on 10 minutes: rinse with warm water.

Blemishes and clogged pores: Try: Pumpkin Scrub! Why: Pumpkin contains beta carotene, a natural exfoliant that refines pores and helps prevent breakouts. To Do: Mix 1 cup canned mashed pumpkin with 1/3 cup cranberry juice (no sugar added) and massage over face with fingertips. Rinse with tepid water and pat dry.

Fines Lines? Try: Pumpkin Honey Facial! Why: Pumpkin provides vitamins that restore elasticity and rebuild collagen for youthful skin. To Do: Mix 1 cup canned mashed pumpkin with 1 teaspoon honey and 1 beaten egg and apply with fingers or a brush. Lie down and place a warm wet washcloth over face and relax 5 minutes. Rinse with tepid water and pat dry.

Dry Skin? Try: Pumpkin Body Polish! Why: Pumpkin’s enzymes help peel, exfoliate and rejuvenate dull, tired skin. To Do: Mix ½ cup canned mashed pumpkin with ½ cup brown sugar. Massage onto rough spots like elbows and knees while in the shower, then turn water on to rinse.

Recipes from Women’s World magazine 10-25-05

Hot Metabolism Cocktail

This is a wonderful way to jumpstart your metabolism. It works, I’ve tried it. I buy those Women’s World magazines that you see in the supermarkets. This one, Sept. 6, 2005, particularly caught my eye. Here are a few notes before I give you the recipe.

This is basically a metabolism boosting detox . Ph.D. Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman is the diet guru can came up with this recipe. Gittleman’s regimen also primes the calorie-burning systems that tend to “crash” after crash diets. She says you are better able to lose weight over the long term. Many people who have stalled, or come to a plateau on a weight loss diets, have been able to restart their weight loss after trying the Hot Metabolism Cocktails. Over a three day period on this regime, you should be able to turn off your carb cravings and lose some pounds.

Why it works: Dr. Gittleman breaks it down like this:
1) The fluid factor: In addition to three fat-flushing metabolism-revving “cocktails” a day, you get lots and lots of water. Staying well-hydrated has been found to keep metabolism running 3% higher.
2) The “heat factor: When researchers studied a drink much like Gittleman’s they found it contained enough cayenne pepper to accelerate heat production in the body, turning up fat burning.
3) The high-metabolism tradeoff: Forget all those grain foods we usually eat. They trigger the release of insulin, which promotes hunger and fat storage. Instead, Gittleman has you fill up on protein- eggs, fish, chicken and more. Protein won’t cause insulin to be released – plus it stimulates the metabolism by 25%.
4) The Detox factor: Downing nature’s most powerful cleansing agents –especially green vegetables- helps rid your body of toxins that stall fat burning. Because toxins, from pesticides in food and pollution, are stored in fat cells, the more we detox, the more fat cells shrink.
5) Fat with fire power: Thought this plan is low in calories, it still provides plenty of good fat. The reason? Studies show that good fats burn off much more quickly than bad ones. And as they burn, they create more metabolism-boosting heat!

A few rules of the detox:
This is a three day detox: Each day, be sure to drink a half ounce of water for every pound you weigh. (Example: if you weigh 160 lbs., drink 80 ozs. of water or ten - 8 ozs. Cups.) As with any new plan, get your doctor’s okay before you begin.
Drink three cocktails a day and eat a low carb diet. The magazine article gives three days worth of menus to go along with the diet, but it would take up too much room to list them all here. If you are interested in the menus, email me or look for this particular issue of the magazine. The menu is all low carb eating.

Hot Metabolism Cocktail:

3 Tbs. fresh squeezed lime juice
1 medium vine-ripe tomato
½ cup chopped cilantro, loosely packed
2 Tbs. fresh chives
½ cup filtered water (I use distilled)
2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
½ clove of garlic
Dash of cayenne
Pinch of potassium-based salt substitute
3 – 4 ice cubes

Blend all ingredients for approximately 1 minute on high speed in a blender.
Yield: 12 ounces

Lucy’s Notes: I tried this and followed all the instructions, eating a low carb diet, for three days and lost 6 lbs. I had more energy than I have had in a good while. Since doing the detox, I have continued drinking the cocktail whenever I feel I need an energy boost. When I don’t get enough sleep, and I have a big day ahead of me, I always drink one cocktail in the morning. When I am only drinking one cocktail, I increase the garlic to one whole clove.
The article was written by: Beth Weissman of Women’s World magazine. 9-06-05

Roger Clements, Shoeless Joe, and Ray Kinsella

How many of you knew that Roger Clements mom died here recently? Before she died she told Roger that he was going to get a 10 to 2 win next time he pitched. He looked at her and said that the team hadn’t given him that much offense all season, how were they going to win 10 to 2? Well the next time Roger pitched was the day his mom died. He said he couldn’t disappoint his mom and not pitch the game. We won that game by a score of 10 to 2. What makes this even more amazing is that the day she died she mentioned Shoeless Joe Jackson three times to Roger’s sister. Did she somehow have a premonition that we would be playing the White Sox in the World Series? I wish she would have told us who won. I think it is an awesome story. I bet she is up there in heaven, with Shoeless Joe, watching this all transpire.

My dad loved baseball. When my little brother was 8 years old, he was on a little league team and my dad was his manager. My two sisters would wait on the other side of the fence for foul balls. When they retrieved one, they would take it to the concession stand and get a free snow cone. My mother was the official score keeper and I would go up in the booth and help her keep score. We kept count of everything that happened. If anyone needed to know what happened, in a game, all they had to do was look at the official score book and see every move. This is how I obtained my love for baseball. I have to say that those were some of the best summers of my life. We worked together as a family and it made us happy. I kind of hope Mom and Dad are up there in heaven watching all this too. Dad especially would have loved it. I miss my dad.

I woke up this morning thinking of James Earl Jones in the movie “Field of Dreams”. He was at the ball field as the “ghost” players were out there playing ball and he was talking about baseball as America’s favorite pastime. I don’t have this down in correct order but here is what he said: The one constant in life is baseball. It has marked the test of time. America is ruled by it like an army of steam rollers, it has been erased and rebuilt over and over again. . The memories will be so fresh that we can brush them away like flies….Baseball gives us memories of our past and it reminds us of all that was good. Yes, people will come…. Yes, baseball does give me memories of my past and it was good. I love it!

A little later in the movie, all the players, except one, go back into the corn and Ray Kinsella has a chance to talk to his young father and make amends for things that happened in his past. I cry every time I see this part of the movie. Ray had left home at the age of 17 and never talked to his dad again. He had said things that hurt the relationship and he never got a chance to make amends with his dad before he died. It had bothered Ray most of his life and we find this out during the movie. When he sees his dad he says to himself, "ease his pain, go the distance." He knows what he must do, he makes the first move. I know that there are many people out there that have strained relationships with family members. What can you do to resolve things before it is too late? My husband and son don’t agree on many things but my husband tries to remain friends with our son. One thing they can do together is throw a baseball. They really do try to see eye to eye. I know that they love each other, but it’s not easy. I think it is worth it.

Well, now that I delved a little deep, let’s get back to: GO ASTROS….KILLER BEES…, Biggio, Bagwell, Berkman, Burke, and the gang. Go Clements, Pettitte, Oswalt and Backe..Go Bullpen! Go Team! We are here cheering you on.

Tip of the Day: Margarine vs. butter: Which is better for your heart?
http://articles.health.msn.com/id/100096514

Update: Game one is down the drain by a score of 5 to 3 . No offense, fair pitching and mental mistakes. Wrong DH. Berkman should have been the DH not Jeff Bagwell. Enough said.

Update: Game two is down the drain by a score of 7 to 6. Astros didn't play well. Some clutch hitting to keep us in the game. Brad Lidge lost another one in the 9th. giving up a home run. Disapointing to say the least.....Game 3 in Houston on Wednesday.....Hopefully we will do better.
Update: Game three is down the drain by a score of 6 to 4 in the fourteenth inning. It ended up being the longest game, by time, in World Series baseball. I can't even describe this game. Same old problem, Could get runners, in scoring position, home.......

Update: Well, it's over. The White Sox took game 4 with a score of 1 to 0. Brandon Backe pitched a sparkling game. No Offense again. It think the best team won, it's just ashamed we couldn't win at least one game. I'm proud of the Astros. They made it to the World Series for the first time ever, coming from a 15 and 30 record on June 1st. We beat out the Atlanta Braves and the Cardinals, who had a better record than the Stros. Those two series were really fun.... Well, as they say, "Wait till next year."

I look out the window and what do I see….No tree

Every morning, as I wash dishes, I look out of my kitchen window and watch the squirrels playing in a large tree two houses down. It’s kind of fun watching them run from limb to limb, playing there little games. I look at the sky and marvel how clear it is after a front pushes thru. Other days it is grey and the rain is pouring down. I look out into my little world and marvel at it’s beauty.

Several weeks ago Hurricane Rita side swiped Houston. Our next door neighbor had, the very tree that the squirrels play in, fall over and hit her garage. It was leaning on the garage for two weeks before they finally cut the tree completely down. I looked out there the other day while I was washing dishes and couldn’t believe how different it looked. It looked so “open”, for lack of a better word. Where were the squirrels? Do they have a new tree to play in now? Where did that palm tree come from? I had never seen it there before. Things looked so different. I was so used to the same basic scene every morning. It was soothing and I loved it. Ahhh..How life changes. I wonder if I would have ever seen that palm tree if the other tree were still standing?

Tips for the day:

Make quick croutons from day old bread. Here's how: Cut 3 slices of bread into 1/2-inch cubes. In a medium skillet, heat 3 Tablespoons Shedd's Spread Country Crock® Spread and 1/4 teaspoon Lawry's ® Garlic Powder with Parsley. Add bread cubes and cook, stirring frequently, until bread is crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels. Makes about 1 1/2 cups croutons.

Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
Recipe By : Real Food for Real PeopleServing Size : 12

2 pounds Hash Browns, frozen -- thawed
1/2 cup Margarine -- melted
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/2 cup Onion -- chopped fine
10 1/2 ounces Cream of Chicken soup
2 cups Cheddar Cheese -- shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 9 x 13 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Combine soup, margarine, salt, pepper, onions and cheese. Gently mix in the potatoes and pour into the prepared pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F, for 35 minutes.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip:

10 oz package of frozen, chopped spinach, drained
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 parmesan cheese
12 oz cream cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients together, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees until hot and bubbly

Back to work he goes……

My son William has been helping us paint and fix up our rent house for the last couple of months. He had been working on an oil rig up in Wyoming and had come home for various and a sundry reasons. Last week a friend of his told him about a job up in Tolar, Texas which is just west and south of Ft. Worth. Since he doesn’t have a car at the moment, I drove him up there. He washed his clothes and got his gear bag ready and we left around 6:00am. for the drive. I had looked on Yahoo maps, the night before, for driving directions and I highlighted my big road map with a yellow highlighter. I threw a couple of bottle of water and a can of nuts in the car and off we went.

When we left it was still dark. Houston morning traffic was already in gear and I was glad that we were going in the opposite direction. By the time we had reached Hempstead, the sun was coming up. We turned off on Hwy. 6 and settled in for a long drive. The more north you drive, the more hills you start to see. You have got to remember that Houston is completely flat. The only hills you will see in Houston are the freeway overpasses. I can’t even remember what town we had breakfast in, but I needed the stop so I could stretch and wake up better. A caffeinated soda along with breakfast did the trick.

Hwy 6 is a small freeway with only two lanes going each direction. We drove thru many a small town. I started realizing just how beautiful Texas is. With the hills, green grass, cows, farm equipment and the amazingly clear sky, I started thinking what it would be like to live in a small area. There weren’t grocery stores on every other corner, no string of stop lights, no fire trucks blaring there horns, no children waiting for school busses. I thought to myself, “I could live in a small town”. I suppose I am getting older and a small town appeals to me now. Who knows, I could go stark raving crazy out there.

Ok, back to the story. We drove thru Bryan/College Station, Waco and other towns along the way. We finally reached Tolar around 11:00am. We found the main office along the highway and the “yard” as William called it. He went inside and talked to the management. While he was inside a friend of his from Wyoming walked in and they had a friendly hello. The man interviewing William asked him how he knew Jeffery Dan. William told him that he had broken him in when he was new up in Wyoming. Evidentially they like Jeffery Dan so William got the job. Boy was he happy. He was told to come back in two hours to fill out the paperwork. We drove into Grandbury, TX. to have lunch and do some shopping at Wal-Mart. We went back to the job site and William went in and filled out the appropriate paper work and was told to report for work the next morning. Jeffery Dan had already offered to let William stay with him. It couldn’t have worked out better. We said our good buy’s and I headed home.

It was already 5:00pm and I had a four and a half hour drive ahead of me. I turned on the radio and started my trek. I made it back, with one small short cut, coming in the back way. I was so tired I was ready to crash…. I’m so glad that William is back out doing what he loves. My grocery bill should go down dramatically now. It’s amazing just how much one young man can eat. Ahhh…… We have the house to ourselves once again.

This has got to be the cutiest thing you ever saw.....

Tip of the day….Gift sized cookie mix in a jar...right here.

Update: The Astros lost their first game to the Cardinals last night. They left the bases loaded in the third inning and just couldn't get their offense working. I found out this morning that Andy Pettitte had hurt his knee during batting practice and had pitched the game with a swollen knee. No wonder his game was off. Hope we do better tonight.

Update: The Astros just won game 2. Roy Oswalt was amazing. They come home all tied up. Roger Clements on the mound on Saturday. ...Go Rocket and go team.

Update: The Astros won game 3. Roger the Rocket held his own and kept us in the game. Qualles and Lidge did their job and we had just enough offense to win the game. We kept Pulhols from hurting us. On to game 4 today with Backe. Keep your fingers crossed.

Update: The Astros won game 4! Brandon Backe and the relief staff were awesome. This was a real nail biter, right down to the last out. Tomorrow it's Andy Pettitte vs. Carpenter. This should be a low scoring game. I hope we win it tomorrow in front of the home crowd. I have to go wash my lucky Astro shirt for tomorrow's game....

Update: The Astros just lost game 5! We were ahead 4 to 2 with two outs. All we needed was one more out and the series was ours. Brad Lidge got a little too excited and allow the little pest Eckstein to get a little hit on two strikes, then Edmonds was very patient and got walked. Then the worse person in the world came up to bat, Albert Puhols. Lidge left one out over the plate and Puhols got all of it. He hit a towering home run into, actually over, the Crawford boxes. It was devestating. We were so close. Well, the good thing about this is that we still have two more chances to take the series. The Astro's will have to go back to St. Louis now and get the job done. Unbelievable!!!!! I'm still in disbelief!!!!!

Update: The Astros win game 6.......We are going to the World Series. I am really excited. Roy Oswalt was awesome!!! YAHOOOOO!

Philly Cheese Steak Meatloaf

This sounded so good that I just had to post it.... Give it a try!
MEATLOAF - From the Quaker Oats website:

1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green or red bell pepper, or a combination
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3/4 cup Quaker oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1/2 cup tomato sauce OR catsup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 slices provolone cheese, cut in half*

TOPPING
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 large green or red bell pepper, or a combination, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil


Heat oven to 350°F.
For meatloaf, cook onion, green pepper and garlic in oil in medium skillet until tender. In large bowl, combine ground beef, oats, tomato sauce, egg, salt, pepper and onion-pepper-garlic mixture; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape mixture into 8 x 5-inch loaf on rack of broiler pan.
Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until center of meatloaf registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer. Arrange cheese on top of loaf, overlapping slices; bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese has melted.* Let meatloaf stand 5 minutes before cutting.
For topping, cook sliced onion, sliced peppers and salt in oil until tender. To serve, cut meatloaf into slices; arrange slices on plate topped with onions and peppers. 6 SERVINGS
NUTRITION INFORMATION: 1/6 of recipe Calories 470, Calories From Fat 300, Total Fat 33g, Saturated Fat 13g, Cholesterol 140mg, Sodium 950mg, Total Carbohydrates 15g, Dietary Fiber 3g, Protein 29g.
*If desired, substitute 2/3 cup shredded mozarella cheese for provolone cheese. Slice meatloaf. Sprinkle with cheese, top with cooked peppers and onions.

Baking Bloopers: Remedies for your baking problems. Check this webpage out if you have problems with some of your baking. Do your cookies burn on the bottom? Find the solution on this website.

Click here for a low sugar, diabetic recipe using oats.

What am I addicted to?

Fred you started this with your Blogoholics post. It got me thinking about what I am “addicted” to. I guess it would be Houston Astros Baseball! I get all excited early in the year when Spring training starts. Ahhhhh…..baseball starting all over again. I’m not one of those who knows everyones stats, but I know my Astro’s and what they can do. Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio, Morgan Ensberg (voted this years MVP), Willy Traveras (rookie for the year), Roger Clements, Andie Pettiet, Roy Oswalt. The killer B’s. My husband and I watch every game. If it’s not on TV we listen on the radio. We go to about 3 games a year at Minute Maid Park. My husband buys a small package of the mini upper deck tickets that they offer at $ 2.00 a ticket for about 9 games. He gives these out to friends and business associates and we will use a few of them too.

This year the Astros made it as the NL Wild Card champions on the last day of the season. Today we played the Alanta Braves and beat them 10 to 5. I can’t wait for tomorrow’s game. It would be so awesome if we could actually make it to the World Series this year. Last month our daughter bought her father a ticket to see the Astro’s play the Cubs in Chicago. She paid for his airfare as a birthday present. She was working in Chicago that week and she planned to take him to the game. Well, we had a hurricane instead and he couldn’t go. It nearly killed him not to go. He bought a special Astros jersey to wear to the game. She ended up giving the tickets away and she got her money back on the airfare since the flight was canceled. Now she has bought him tickets to the playoff game on Saturday here in Houston. She will be in California working so I get to go with him. My heart races at the thought.

In my book, it’s a wonderful addiction. My husband and I met at the Astrodome when we were 16 yrs. old. He was the soda boy and I was the popcorn girl. Four years later we married. I am grateful that we share the same addiction. I think this helps keep our marriage exciting because we share some of the same things. We have fun together. I’m not one of those wives who complain about loosing her husband to baseball. I am right there with him. Baseball season is almost over and we will go into detox together…… Now go take a look at what my husband blogged about this morning, It's only a Game.

Fred, blogging has become a close second only to baseball.

Safety Tips.....

I recieved these tips in an email from a friend of mine this evening. I thought they were worth blogging about, so take note.....

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2.Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans . If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MADIN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3.If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4.Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: A.)Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. B.)If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars. C.)Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "forhelp" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

************* Here it is *******
9.Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Check my last blog about Grandparents raising their grandchildren.

I’m getting too old for this….

This past weekend was my daughter’s fifth wedding anniversary. She and her husband wanted to have some time of their own to celebrate. Jennifer asked me three weeks ago if I would baby sit for JJ (almost 4 yrs. old) and baby Jocelyne who is 2 months old. I said yes without much thought, after all they are my grandchildren and I love seeing them.

Oh man, I think I forgot what it is like to take care of two small children. JJ wanted to play with everything and baby Jocelyne was gassey. She is on a Soy formula because she is allergic to milk. The only thing is that soy is constipating. Poor little girl was trying her best to fill her diaper and it didn’t happen till just before mom and dad picked her up. I didn’t get a thing done this past weekend. I was happy to see Jen and Justin when they came for their babies. I know my daughter appreciated me sacrificing my time for them and that alone was worth the time I spent babysitting.

I really feel for parents who have to raise their grandchildren. I have a friend who’s daughter is bi-polar. She has three children that she loves but she can not take care of them all by herself. Her mom and dad have taken them in and are helping to raise these children. I can tell you one thing though; she has taught those girls how to do everything. They can wash clothes, clean, cook and even use a sewing machine. They are wonderful girls but they are being raised by their grandparents. I know that there are times when family has to come to the aid of family. It’s good that my friend can help out, but it was not what she had on her wish list for the years after her own children were grown and gone. I suppose God had other plans for her. We never know what is going to happen.

Do you know people who are raising their grandchildren?