Recent comments

Hormonal crying can cause damage! I'm pretty sure I'm responsible for Hurricane Charlie.

Keep me posted on the pumpkin, white chocolate cookie - that sounds delish!!

Yum, I would have been happy to clean that table for you!

I was at the retreat and, of course, everything was wonderful. But the Sopapilla Cheesecake was heaven on a fork!! Thanks Heida!

Hopefully, this weekend. Our webmaster has been very ill but finally on the mend. Sorry for the delay.

Dear Walter,
To what question did you want an answer, 'old' friend? lag

We're working on it! Sorry to keep you waiting.

I made turkey salad today for one of the parties I cater and this time I added some sundried tomato pesto I found at the store. That along with the dried cranberries just made it taste sehr wunderbar!

I made your Turkey Tetrazzini and it was so good, I heard my husband sneaking leftovers at midnight.
There's still turkey in the freezer so the Turkey Salad Supreme is next.
Thanks for passing these recipes along. They make me glad I bought a huge turkey.

Still waiting for Gallagher to answer me .

Walter from Wilmington, NC.

Nice to see the articles by Lisa Gallagher
Used to know her in her younger days

Walter (Wilmington, NC ) ..

I was dong some research for another story and ran across this article, "Using the Web to Weather Tough Times," by Irene McDermott.

You might want to take a look at it. There are advice blogs, financial management tools such as Mint.com, which is sort of a poor woman's Quicken (and while it's not listed in the above referenced article, Quicken has a free financial tool too.)

The article covers the range of options, from sites reviewing credit card options (Side rant: Why aren't credit card interest rates falling below the usurious in an economy where interest is sliding everywhere else? And don't even get me started on these check cashing places.) to blogs with all kinds of energy saving advice.

There are also a couple coupon and bargain-hunting websites. Here's a great piece of advice from the column: "When I come across one of those 'promotion code' fields, I just Google the store and 'promotion code' or 'coupon.' Usually one of the first two or three links has the useful code." It always drives me nuts when I'm buying something online to realize that somewhere, somehow, this company is offering a discount, but not to me. You can bet I'm going to try this trick next time I buy online.

Anyway, the article is a real gold mine. Check it out.

I paid $2.28 per gallon of gasoline the other day when I was on the road. It made me feel positively frugal. See how we get habituated to high prices? I've completely forgotten -- emotionally, anyway -- that $2.28 was ever a high price.

A couple of months ago I was out of town, checking out some chic boutiques, trying not to show my complete lack of sophistication at the $250 price tags on stained and ripped blue jeans. When I found a sale rack with a nice blouse for $80, it seemed like a real deal.

When we travel, we always "house hunt." After a week in California, $400,000 for a bungalow seemed like such a good deal.

For some reason, when we habituate to high prices, the number we forget is the one written on our pay check. Probably the ability to visualize that number creatively spells the difference between a successful budget-keeper and a spender.

Your aunt is incredible. But I bet you knew that a long time ago.

We love you and are so very proud of you, Ant Mozell!

What a beautiful article on such an intelligent, stunning black woman!

Hugs and kisses,

Todd, Tasha, Christian & Chloe Edwards.
Alexandria, VA.

I love kibbe! I had it for the first time a few years ago and can't get enough. How do you make yours?

Ah, Ground Hog Day memories. I'll never forget the year Jenni put barf bags from her plane trip in the girl's sweat socks.They were so proud of themselves, they knew they'd been good all year to get such a special gift.

Remember the carols? Rudolph the Red Nose Ground Hog, Deck the Halls with Happy Ground Hogs, oh and everyones favorite, Jingle Hog. I don't know why the neighbors slammed their doors when we went caroling.

How about, if I don't have it all done, my eyeballs will fall out? If my upper lids get a lift but the bottom ones droop just a bit more, it could happen. I'll look like I'm wearing those glasses with eyeballs on springs. Think how much that would cost to repair.

The good news is that if your eyelids hurt your vision, your insurance will cover at least that part. Maybe you could make a case that you have to do the whole thing at once or the lids will just fall down again. OK, maybe we need to work on this more.

I have eyes but unless I wear a lot of mascara to hold up my lids, you'd hardly notice. I'll have the vision of an Old English Sheep dog by my next birthday and it won't be hair blocking my view.

Getting my eyes done seems a necessity rather than vanity but all the other things I like to do while I'm numb are just plain vain.The bags under my eyes and brows are right there so I might at well get the whole works. With my brows lifted and bags gone, I may not be beautiful but I'll look surprised and rested.

It was about six years ago and I happened to be with a group of 20-somethings. The subject of plastic surgery came up, and one young woman declared "It's unnatural! and vain."

She said this while her tongue stud clicked against her teeth. Unnatural? Vain? I'm not sure any age group has the corner on these feelings. But I do remember thinking that way, long before cashiers were asking me if I wanted the senior citizen discount more than a few years before I qualified. (BTW, I'm still not qualified, so just keep those remarks to yourself kids.)

In a culture where nothing trumps physical beauty as a door opener for women, the attraction of plastic surgery is a snap. Is it vain? Maybe. But who isn't? Adornment is adornment is adornment, whether it be a tongue stud, eye shadow, mountains of jewelry, or a brow lift. It seems to me it's a matter of income and priorities.

Hey Meme,
Pajama quilts? Sounds lovely as well as nice and cuddly soft. I find Mozell's quilts inspiring, too. Since I met her, I've been trying my hand at a little improvisational quilting. It's not easy to do. I actually think my husband would be better at it than I am. He makes art pieces with wood that remind me very much of this improvisational approach.

I don't know anything about middle eastern quilting. Post some liks if you know of any.

This caught my eye because while visiting in Amman I looked diligently for quilters and signs of quilters. I hoped for local artists with an Arabic flair. I went to the Jordan River Foundation Museum and gift shop. There the varied and beautiful Arabian nights quilts were on display. They were far too expensive for me to afford without saving for many months. Made of brightly colored silks and hand appliqued, they were an inspiration to me. I hope to one day have one for my home. I also saw hand made appliqued quilts made by a friend of my daughter's in-laws. But there are limitations on everyday individuals working on quilts, and there don't seem to be any pieced quilts. I am interested in finding what other countries may do, and how their own cultures are reflected in their sewing and quilts. I'm not sure that Jordan has a strong appreciation for the beauty that can be lovingly made with needle, thread, and fabric, beautiful quilts that will last beyond our lifetimes, and will be a remembrance for future generations and an inspiration to the arts for our descendents. These quilts are just such an inspiration. Made with what was on hand (her husband's work shirts, for me husband's old pajamas, etc.) the beautiful colors and designs in the way they are put together are an inspiration for those of us who see them and hope to do similarly. I hope that she will find continued inspiration in her new home and will find that there are others with whom she can share this important skill. I hope she is signing and dating her quilts so that proper credit can be given by future generations.

We've been in severe dollar-saving mode at my house for a number of months. The stock market's slide isn't making me feel confident we'll be able to change operational modes any time soon.

I confess, this is not my strong area. So I have to ask: What are your tricks? Wearing your underwear inside out to delay washing, thereby saving water and detergent? Sending the kids to your neighbors at dinner time? Mandatory lights out after 8 p.m.?

Here's what we've done so far. I'd love to know what you're doing.

We analyzed our spending over the last year and came up with a very clear idea of where the money goes. We cut the easy stuff. First, Joey bought a scooter, and that's meant his fill-ups are down to $7 or $8 every two weeks or so. I was opposed to the purchased, but I'm impressed with the gas savings. My big surprise was insurance for the scooter. It wasn't as high as I feared, fairly nominal in fact. But I made my husband promise: No freeways. So far, so good. It helps that he's almost as frightened as I am. I'm trying not to figure out how long it will take in saved gasoline expenses to pay off the scooter.

Second, we cut dining out to a bare minimum -- something I absolutely hated to do but it had to be done. I used to go out to lunch daily. Wouldn't dream of it now. If I forget to bring a lunch, I agonize over what to do.

Third, we made a list of the regular items on our grocery list. Each shopping day, we visit a different store, and record the prices of these items. It helps us know who regularly offers the best deals. Actually, Joey's been doing the grocery shopping lately, and this was his invention. He loves this kind of stuff. Give the man a list-making task and he's happy for hours.

Wasn't a lot we could do about the cost of medical insurance, but I bought a plan that is focused mainly on routine maintenance, while Joey paid a little more for one that would cover his prescriptions. Health care was a real shock to the budget. Until a month ago, we always had employers pick up this tab. Ouch!

Finally, when those 401K statements come in, I glance at them and file them away. No use panicking. This is a bad ride, but I think the outcome would be worse if we indulged in panic selling.

Clearly, I need your guidance. I'd love to hear from you expert savers out there.