Thank You To My Fans!

Nothing makes the scientist and mathematician side of me happier than being able to analyze some interesting data. Thanks to Beth she introduced me to stat counter. It is a wonderful little website that can be embedded into your blog to gather information about your readers. So on a regular basis I check my account to see where people are from, what operating system they use, what browser they use, and how long they stay. Well my little blog hit an all time high yesterday of 82 page loads! For the record, that is almost twice as many page loads as any other day. It is so wonderful to be able to see that so many of you out there want to see the stuff that I'm typing! So thank you my avid readers, and thank you stat counter!


Enjoy ~SJ

Open Water

So tomorrow marks the first day of open water fishing - translation ice fishing is over and regular fishing can start. Now I'm not an avid fisher-woman, but I can be convinced to go dangle a hook in the water every now and then. Worthley is still frozen solid and all of the ice fishing condos are off the ice, and my question is, when are we every going to be able to go fishing? My money is on Labor day weekend if Mother Nature has anything to do with it. Until then, the bass and trout will get a little piece and quiet.

Enjoy ~SJ

Come Sit On The Porch

With Janis Joplin blaring in the background I am enjoying my inaugural sit on the front porch of the 2008 season. I am trying to pretend that the view looks like this:









Instead it looks more like this:

The upside is that I at least get to be outside and enjoy some fresh air for a change. Only a Mainer would get excited about sitting outside in late March enjoying the sun when it is 40 degrees out!

Enjoy ~SJ

Test Drive

So the Music Man and I went to check out cars today. I have been doing just a little too much internet research into my next car purchase lately. Questions about gas mileage, pick up, space, comfort, all wheel drive vs. front wheel drive vs rear wheel drive, crash test ratings, and customer reviews have been swirling in my head. After an unknown number of logged hours I have narrowed down my car options to the Toyota Matrix. So after test driving the spiffy little hatch back, I just have to decide if I want to go out on a limb in this horrible economy and buy myself this brand new treat.

Enjoy ~SJ

Shamrock Personality

Well blogthings.com is full of all sorts of stupid quizzes that can tell you more about yourself than you needed to know. I recently stumbled up the Shamrock Personality Quiz - why not give it a try?

What Your Shamrock Says About You

You are unselfish, responsible, and a good leader. You contribute a lot to your community. At times, you can be self-righteous and stubborn. There's no better way to do things than your way. You consider yourself a lucky person. Luck always seems to be on your side. You are creative, innovative, and complicated. You definitely have a unique spin on the world.

The Shamrock Personality Test

Give it a try, I know you have always been wondering what your shamrock choice says about you.

Enjoy ~SJ

What flower.....

I am a Violet What Flower Are You?

"You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about."

I guess.... Find out what you are, they are some fun questions!

Enjoy ~SJ

Great Paper Mystery

So this is what I woke up to find this morning in my bathroom:


















So that means that either:
A) A robber broke into the house and decided to shred toilet paper all over the bathroom and kitchen
B) The toilet paper decided to explode in the middle of the night
C) Stanley decided after living in the house for over a year that he was interested in the toilet paper
D) Phoebe, who has always been intrigued with toilet paper tubes decided that she needed a new one to play with and removed all of the paper.


Stanley would like to make the following statement: "I was asleep beside The Feeder all night while the Little Black One was locked out of the bedroom due to her poor behavior".




Phoebe would like to make the following statement: "I don't know anything about the toilet paper, I just woke up and found it there. And I got rudely kicked out of the bedroom while The Orange Guy and The Feeder were sleeping, and I wanted to play".

If you have any clues, evidence, or opinions please help solve the Great Paper Mystery at the Shamrock.

Enjoy ~SJ

Bright Eyed And Bushy Tailed

The Music Man sent me these pictures this morning. Apparently the deer have taken to bedding down outside his bedroom window.

Laura Turner To The Rescue!

This past Easter Sunday I decided to go out on a limb and make biscuits instead of the family favorite and staple, Parker House rolls. The recipe that I use has been in the family for multiple generations and belongs to my Great-Grandmother "Grammy Pick-Pick", Dell Falardeau cousin Laura Turner. According to my mother Laura Turner had a camp at Worthley Pond near the narrows, and Grammy's was near the outlet. Both of these woman were accomplished cooks, making everything from pies to doughnuts. Grammy Pick-Pick and Laura Turner would take turns hosting dinner for each other throughout the summer. When Laura hosted dinner she would make her famous biscuits, when Grammy Pick-Pick hosted she made the Parker House rolls.

Laura Turner's Biscuits
(Grammy Falardeau's cousin)


2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/4 teaspoon salt
Enough milk to form dough

Roll out onto floured surface; cut with cutter and bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.
















I have to admit that I like the Parker House rolls more, but only make them for special occasions such as holidays and family gatherings. I make the biscuits as a regular supplement to dinner.

Enjoy ~SJ

Yankee Ingenuity Update

So I gave my mail carrier a copy of my Yankee Ingenuity piece about the flag-xtender since I thought she would enjoy it. She gave me the follow reply in my mailbox a few weeks ago:

Sorry it took so long to get back to you about your clever invention. I passed it around the office so everyone could read it. My boss even photocopied it and sent it to her son in Montana. I think your idea is awesome, especially is we have more winters like this one. When you become rich and famous I can brag that you are a customer of mine.

Good luck SJ!
Your Mail Carrier,
Jackie

I thought that you would all enjoy reading the thoughtful comment that Jackie gave to me. Ahh, what fills our minds when all we have to do is shovel.

Enjoy ~SJ

Light The Passion Share The Dream

The Olympic Torch started its long and amazing journey from Olympia, Greece to Beijing, China. This symbolic flame will travel over 85,000 miles in 130 days. Not only will this flame travel this amazing distance, but it will also land on five continents. After a little research on the internet about this amazing journey, I learned that the Olympic torch is traditionally lit in Olympia and then travels to the host site. Once arriving at the host site it then travels around the world returning to the host city in time for the opening ceremonies. When the Olympics were hosted in Australia the flame traveled underwater near the Great Barrier Reef. This year the flame is going to attempt to travel to the highest point on Earth, Mt. Everest It truly awes me the dedication our world puts into this symbolic journey, and I wish that it was coming in my neck of the woods so that I could see it.



In the summer of 2005 I traveled to Beijing, China on a Fulbright scholarship for teachers who live in rural areas. Nine teachers from the surrounding schools traveling through China for almost thirty days. It was an amazing experience. While in Beijing we got visited Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City on a very rainy day. Even three years before the Olympic games Beijing was getting ready for its weeks hosting the world. They were refinishing sections of the Forbidden City, translating the city's signs into English, and building countless new buildings. Although China is not know for its environmentally friendly ways, all of the buildings being built for the Olympic games are on the cutting edge of "green" building. While in Tienanmen Square I got to see the famous count-down clock until the summer games.


I can only hope that these Olympic games can bring the region around China together, as well as the world together, at least for the duration of the games. The torch is the symbolic symbol that has always represented the Olympics. Maybe during the next Olympic games I will get to see this well traveled piece of fire.

Enjoy ~SJ

Maple Sap Sunday

Mi Prima, The Music Man and I participated in my favorite Maine tradition this morning. The fourth Sunday in the month of March is a unique holiday in the state of Maine, it is Maple Syrup Sunday. Traditionally sap houses across the state open their doors to the public so that we can enjoy the fruits of their labor, traditionally a pancake breakfast. The farm that I visit, the Farris Farm on the Canton Point Road in Canton is a multi-generation dairy farm owned by a family friend. At the Farris Farm the sap house sits across the street from the farm, nestled close to the woods which makes sap gathering a little easier. Upon walking through the door the familiar smell of maple sap and pancakes filled the air. Anne was found behind the grittle cooking chocolate chip, blueberry and plain pancakes. According the Art and Kenny it has been a slow year so far for syrup, and many of the other sap houses are not producing as well as they are. So far they have boiled their sap down to produce about 10 gallons of red-ish gold syrup. Their syrup has a slight wood taste since it is evaporated over a wood fire, a wonderful addition for any true maple syrup consisour.














According to about.com "The Iroquois Indians first developed maple syrup, and taught the process to the Colonial settlers, who used it as their only sweetener for many years. It's been a New England tradition ever since".



















This trip to the farm was toped off with a walk through the barn, where we patted calves, kittens, and horses. Seeing all of the farm animals was a wonderful way to finish off an amazing breakfast!


Enjoy ~SJ

Early Arrival

So the Easter Bunny visited my house a little early. I must admit that I think that the Easter Bunny is slacking a little this year since he has taken to using the US Postal service, but then again I can't complain too much since he did remember me. My Easter package included many of my favorites, and I am almost convinced that the Easter Bunny must read my blog, since he included gourmet popping corn, my favorite mint candies, and some very exciting hard cherry candies, along with a small stuffed bunny. Then again, I don't think that the Easter Bunny is reading my blog since the package did not included peeps, and didn't I specifically request those a few blogs ago?

Oh well, can't complain too much, Easter baskets and packages are alway exciting to receive. So thank you Easter Bunny for my early spring presents!

Enjoy ~SJ

Saving The Environment

In my attempt to save money and the environment last fall I bought myself a 49cc Honda Metropolitan. This amazing little motorcycle averages over 100 miles per gallon and tops out at 40 miles per hour! I know, I'm a regular Hell's Angle on this thing. The scooter is now sitting up in my shed behind the house waiting for the roads to be clear and safe for my big hog. Maybe within the next six weeks my wish will be granted, and I can start saving the environment again.
Enjoy ~SJ

Mother Nature's Spring Trick!

Well Mother Nature wanted to make sure that the northeast didn't forget her ability to dump excessive amounts of snow on us. In her hopefully final snowy farewell, she dumped a snowy, rainy mess in Maine. Northern Maine is on pace to break the snowiest winter ever with over 180 inches of snow!

The "view" from my road

I found this interesting article on the internet explaining the equinox.
"The word “equinox” comes from Latin and means “equal nights.” Around March 20, sunrise and sunset are about twelve hours apart everywhere on Earth. Because of that, a lot of people think that day and night are of equal length on March 20. But actually the day is a little longer than the night on this date. There are a few reasons for that. Sunrise occurs when the top of the sun (not the center) is on the horizon. But the sun actually appears to be above the horizon when it is in fact still below it. That’s because Earth’s atmosphere refracts or “bends” light coming from the sun, so we see the sun a couple of minutes before it actually rises over the horizon. If you add the daylight that persists after sunset, you’ll find the day on the equinox is several minutes longer than the night."

Mother Nature, Easter is coming this weekend, can you please help the weather so that the Easter Bunny can get to my house safely to deliver my yellow chick peeps?

Enjoy ~SJ

Another Mini Memoir

I had so much fun writing the first mini memoir, that I decided to give it another shot.

I am brilliant
articulate
can't spell
woman

Enjoy ~SJ

Top o' the mornin'!

Many of you know that the name of my house is the Shamrock. It is a sign that has been in the family for many generations (I think I am the forth to own it). The sign has been moved to each of our camps or homes that were on Worthley Pond. My house is the first time it has lived on someones year round home, and this year I am proudly displaying my Leprechaun flag (please ignore the dieing Christmas decorations on the porch, it has been a long and cold winter). Although I just found out the St. Patrick's day was officially Saturday, due to the fact that it fell during the same time as Holy Week (see more info below), I am still going to wear my green and shamrocks proudly today, and finish off dinner with a beer. Well I think that good ol' wikipidia sums up the holiday festivities well with the following summary: "Celebrations

• Attending Mass
• Parades
• Wearing shamrocks
• Wearing green
• Drinking alcohol"

Wikipidia informed me that sometimes the celebration of St. Patrick's day is moved so that it does not fall during Holy Week. "The date of the feast is occasionally moved by church authorities when March 17 falls during Holy Week; this happened in 1940 when Saint Patrick's Day was observed on 3 April in order to avoid it coinciding with Palm Sunday, and is happening again in 2008, being observed on 15 March. March 17 will not fall during Holy Week again until 2160." Although I know that St. Patrick's day is a lot more involved than just green clothes, shamrocks, and corn beef, for most Americans it a fun day were people of all backgrounds can pretend to be Irish just for a day.

Enjoy ~SJ

She is, she IS a fucking saint!

"Aimil is a Saint"said Mi Prima, "She is, she IS a fucking Saint!" finished SJ referring to one of her amazing friends from Simmons College. Through all of the ups and downs of my life Aimil, which is Gaelic for Emily, has been there to support me. One my most cherished memories of Saint Aimil is from our freshman year at Simmons. We spent the entire afternoon camped out in her room making an Excel spreadsheet for the courses that we needed to take and in what order to take them for our undergraduate career. Only Aimil and I can share a crazy obsession for math and structure, and only Aimil and I can discuss what our favorite prime number is and why.

I don't know what I would do without this amazing person in my life. So Mi Prima and I decided, if there isn't already a Saint Emily (Aimil) day, we are going to make one in honor of my dear friend Aimil.














Abby (another Simmons Gal who needs her own Saint day), SJ, and Aimil

Enjoy ~ SJ

River Valley What?

Well the blogging community of the Western Maine Foothills has been nicknamed the "River Valley Bloggers". I would like to go on record that we are NOT the River Valley Cloggers, or the River Valley Loggers. Ahhh the confusion this could cause.

For more rhyming fun check out on of my favorite Kermit The Frog skits, London Fog.

Enjoy ~SJ

My Brain is Orange?

The website blogthings has wonderful little tests that you can take to inform you of the most amazing tidbits of information about yourself. I recently took the "What Color Is Your Brain" test. Ok, I thought that all brains were the same color, but according to this website they aren't. I tested out to be an orange, here is what they say about me:

Of all the mind types, yours is the quickest.
You are usually thinking a mile a minute, and you could be thinking about anything at all. Your thoughts are often scattered and random - but they're also a lot of fun! You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about esoteric subjects, the meaning of life, and pop culture.

Not sure about the pop culture part, but the rest seems to be accurate. Take the test and comment back or link back to me!

Enjoy ~SJ

French Women Don't Get Fat

I have been making my own yogurt for many years now. I made the switch from "store" yogurt because I don't really like how sweet the store stuff is, and I like to know what is in my food. Many people think I'm nuts to through all of the work to make yogurt for myself, but I can tell you, once you make the switch you will never go back.

Yogurt is actually a very simple food to make. If you follow these simple steps you should come up with an amazing food that you will be addicted to quickly. I use a yogurt maker which is a little plastic incubator that keeps the mixture the correct temperature for a desired length of time. There are many other methods that do not use a machine, here is a link to one such method.

Ingredients
4 cups milk
1/2 cup powered milk
1/2 cup yogurt




Heat milk and powered milk over a medium heat stirring occasionally until just before it boils. Just before the milk boils remove it from the heat and place the pot in a cool water bath. Cool the mixture to around 120 degrees F. Once mixture has cooled carefully stir in yogurt. Place into yogurt maker for desired length of time. The longer you leave the yogurt in the more tart the product. I usually leave mine incubating between 8 and 12 hours.












Heating milk, and then the mixture sitting in water bath cooling.


After doing a little research for this blog I came across a book that I have been wanting to read. It is French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guliano, wikipedia had the following to say about her book: "In 2005, Mireille Guiliano released her best selling book, French Women Don’t Get Fat, in which she touts yogurt as her secret weight loss weapon. In her novel, she campaigned for Americans to discover the benefits and pleasures of homemade plain, non-fat yogurt, as opposed to the sugar and corn syrup-laden ‘imposters’ found in most U.S. supermarkets." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogurt)



So far, no major weight loss on this French-Canadian woman, but I will keep on trying.

Enjoy ~SJ

Yes, this is yet another exciting game of Blogging Tag. Thanks to both Beth and Amity for including me in this cyber-playground game, I truly enjoy it!

Amity tagged me in her blog with the assignment to write seven things people don’t know about me! Here we go!

1) My Dad and I share the same birthday. He claims that the day I was born he stopped having his birthday, yet for some reason he looks older today than I remember him when I was little. Maybe it is all of the gray hair in his mustache.

2) My first word was "budboata". I used it to mean anything from the dog to the color of the sky. It truly is the new multipurpose word that just never caught on outside of my family. Try it out, it might be the new "wicked"

3) I still get left and right, orange and yellow, b and p, 6 and 9, elbow and shoulder mixed up. My mother claims that it is my learning disability, and that everyone has one. It is just that some peoples learning disability is worse than others, guess mine isn't that bad since I am making it through life.

4) I was a thumb sucker until the age of.... well I'm not really sure, but I do know I was
at least 10. Even though I was a thumb sucker for so long, my teeth are straight without braces.

5) I hate shots.

6) My favorite snack, even when I was little is provolone cheese. When I was little and I spent the day with Grammy Lillian at her store, Irish's Market she would give me provolone cheese as a snack.

7) Even though I have traveled the world far and wide, my favorite vacation spot is still my front porch at Worthley Pond.

Ok, there you go, those are my seven little known facts. Maybe you knew them, and maybe you didn't. I'm not going to tag anyone, but I do encourage follow readers to do the same on their blog and tag back to me via the comments link on here.

Enjoy ~SJ

Slick and Speedy SJ

I guess I'm not the only SJ out there in the world. If I were a train, this is the train I would want to be, and it isn't just because of the name. A friend of mine who is into trains as a hobby recently sent me this link about a train in Sweden called the SJ. Not only is this a slick and speedy looking train (yes these are characteristics I would want if I were a train), but it is also an environmentally friendly choice (I hope that Mother Nature is reading this now!). The SJ website makes the following environmental claims:

SJ aims to reduce its environmental footprint

SJ is working daily to reduce its environmental footprint. The work involves everything from choosing eco-labeled electricity to sorting waste at source on board. Traveling with SJ means making your own contribution to sustainable social development.

So, if I ever travel to Sweden, I will make sure that I take a ride aboard the mode of transportation that is clearly named after me!

Njuta av ~SJ
("enjoy" in Swedish)

Archaeological Dig At The Middle School

There will be an archaeological dig later on in the week at the Middle School to unearth the precious Woolly Number 2 Pencil. Too bad we did not discover this precious artifact before MEA testing. We certainly have gone through a lot of number 2 pencils filling in all of those little bubbles.

The Blog-O-Sphere Is On Fire!

Well our little network of bloggers in the "greater" - Dixfield community is getting to be very active. We are "tagging" each other with fun little blogging assignments, and are even picking up on each other's nicknames for local hangouts. As you all know (because I know that you wait on the edge of your seat for each of my new posts) I hung out at the Corner Store over the weekend. Mi Prima made a reference to it being a cool college hang out - if Dixfield had a college. Well that lead me to nicknaming the Corner Store - Dixfield University. In yet another sleepless night I realized that the initials of Dixfield University would spell D.U. (of course pronounced similar to Duh). Then came the idea of making a t-shirt, because what good idea isn't set in stone by turning it into a t-shirt?! So I think that the "greater"-Dixfield Blog-O-Sphere needs to design to t-shirt and all wear them proudly. Now all we need is a artist to design the logo, who's in?

Enjoy ~SJ

A Good Friend Once Said

When my life recently took a complete 180 degree turn and very good friend of mine gave me the following advice:

Drink chamomile tea, pet your cat, start a blog, talk to your friends, go for long walks, but don't get back together with someone who sucks the person-hood out of you.



I have been drinking plenty of both tea and coffee. Not only have I been petting my cat, I even got a new cat. Blog, check - the most wonderful thing I have done for myself in a very long time. Talking to my friends - yup sure do that - and I talk to my mother ever day! So, I have followed all of her advice, other than taking the long walks due to the horrible weather that we have been having. Now I truly am feeling as though life is really better and that I am healthier. Thank you for the wonderful advice Beth!

Enjoy ~SJ

The Night Of No Technology

In all of my brilliance I took my briefcase into Mi Prima's house the other night so that my laptops (yes, I have two - my own MacBook, and the State issue MLTI) and my camera wouldn't get cold in the car. Well, as we went out the door to hang out at my house for the night I left the briefcase sitting by the door. Of course I did not realize that the bag and all of its precious contents were momentarily forgotten about until I pulled into my driveway 20 minutes later. Due to my desire to conserve gas we decided to "rough it" for the night without any way to access the internet. I know, I can hear you gasping in shock right now. It was a difficult night, we couldn't just Google burning trivial questions that we had, we couldn't surf Amazon to compare prices of random items, or watch mindless videos on YouTube. We managed to keep ourselves entertained by watching a few episodes of L Word and eating Ben & Jerry's. I somehow awoke the next morning still alive, yet itching to check my morning email and new sites. So after a few cups of coffee and some quick showers we went and rescued the precious electronics and headed out to the Corner Store (a.k.a. Dixfield University) for an afternoon of technology rejuvenation.

Enjoy ~SJ

Dixfield University

Ok, there really isn't a Dixfield Univeristy, but Mi Prima and I have spent a large part of the day hanging out at the Dixfield Corner Store. Not only do they offer over twelve different flavors of coffee, and a complete Italian-esc sandwich deli, but they have free wireless internet! So, Mi Prima and I spent most of the day hanging out, surfing the internet, drinking coffee, eating amazing food and visiting with the wonderful people who came in. So, if Dixfield had a University, all the college kids would hang out at the Corner Store.














"Dixfield University"















SJ at "Dixfield Univeristy"

Enjoy ~SJ

Tag You're It!

Like the playground game, I have been tagged "it". A good friend of mine, Beth, tagged my blog the other day with an assignment, write a six word memoir. After a sleepless night due to this assignment, I think I have it.

Love [water + music + scootering + family] = SJ

Here is the explanation. Since I am a math teacher I decided to write an equation that looked like a six word sentence. So, if we apply the distributive property you get that I love water, love music, love scootering, and love family.

Here are the rules in case you want to try your hand at writing your own six word memoir:

1. Write your own six word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person who tagged you in your post and to this original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere.
4. Tag five more blogs with links.
5. And don’t forget to leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play!
This was a wonderful little assignment, thanks Beth!

So TAG Joe, Amity, APW, Ben, Mom and Mi Prima (both when you have a blog) you are now "it"!













SJ scootering at an early age.

Enjoy ~ SJ

Thank You Mrs. Guay!

Like all grandmothers, mine is a wonderful cook (they both are actually). My Grandmother Irish always remembers which baked good is the favorite of each of her children as well as grandchildren. I have too many favorites from Grammy's kitchen to list, so I have taken up the art of cooking. Now I can have my favorites whenever I want them, but I do have to clean up the kitchen. Since today was yet another snow day I decided to make one of my favorites, Mrs. Guay's Banana Bread. Mrs. Guay was a family friend from Pine St. in Rumford (the street that Irish's Market was on - more stories about that later). Here is the recipe from my red plaid cookbook that my Mom hand copied many family recipes and stories into.

Mrs. Guay's (family friend from Pine street - Grandpa's store)
Grammy uses just this one for her famous banana bread.
1/2 c Crisco
2 eggs
3 - 4 ripe bananas
3 cups flour
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c sour milk
1/2 c nuts
1 1/2 t baking soda

Cream sugar and Crisco. Add eggs and milk which the baking soda has been added to. Add bananas, nuts and then flour. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

I have made a few "modifications" to this recipe over the past few years. When I have fresh applesauce I use it instead of Crisco. Also, if I want to make it a little healthier, I use 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole-wheat flour.

There has always been a bit of a discussion surrounding the bananas between my Mom, Grammy and I. Mom and I put are old bananas straight into the freezer until we have enough of them to make bread. My Grandmother has a Cool-Whip container that she mashes the bananas in and stores them in the freezer. Once the container is full, she knows that she has enough to make bread. Not sure who's method is better, but I can tell you that the bread is always a hit!

Enjoy ~ SJ

Big Plans!

The plans are in full swing for the first annual "St. Patty's Day Patty"! Mi Prima and I spent a decent amount of time today planning our Irish themed party. So many questions.... like the following:
1) Can you dip marshmallows in green food coloring to make them green?
2) Can you add green food coloring to the popcorn popper to make the popcorn green?
3) What other food do we know that is green?

The answers to these green questions and many more my come in future blogs.

Enjoy ~SJ

Thank You Good Samaritan

Maybe Mother Nature doesn't hate me - she sent a Good Samaritan out to my house on Friday! This wonderful person, whoever they are pushed back the snowbanks around my mailbox and across the street where I put all of my snow. I don't know who this person is, but they defiantly earned some cookies or whoopie pies from SJ's kitchen. So if anyone know who this mystery person is please let me know so that I can properly thank them.

Enjoy ~SJ

Marketing Overload

I have to admit that I am a holiday candy junkie! I get excited for each different holiday since it comes with its own unique sugary treat. Halloween and candy corn, Christmas and ribbon candy, Valentine's Day and conversation hearts, and Easter with its Peeps. It seems these last few years the candy choices during the holidays gets more and more overwhelming. Since when do we need Peeps that come in a rainbow of choices, and a multitude of shapes? What ever happened to just getting a package of yellow chick shaped Peeps in your Easter basket? Now them come in green, purple, blue, pink, and yellow (I'm sure I missed a few more colors in there somewhere). To me, the green ones look like they are sick, the blue ones look like the suffocating, and since when do you eat purple or pink food? Peeps even come in cocoa flavored and sugar free! Now I would like to know how a candy made almost exclusively from sugar can be made in a sugar free format - the wonders of Splenda! And now Peeps aren't even an Easter exclusive! You can get cat and ghost shaped ones at Halloween, and tree and Santa shaped ones at Christmas. I'm a purest, keep things traditional and simple, please Mars, Necco,and Just Born don't mix up our holiday candy. So Please Mr./Mrs. Easter Bunny keep it simple for me this year and just send me a few boxes of yellow chick shaped Peeps so that I can leave them on my counter for a few days so I can eat them when they are hard and stale!




Enjoy ~ SJ