Happy Birthday Up There! April 2, 2015

Her hands

Her touch

Her soft white hair

Her smile

Her laugh

A smirk or a glare

Her song

Her hum

The way she rocked in her chair

Her voice

Her eyes

You knew that she cared

Mama

Nana

Momma Midget

We love you

We miss you

Happy Birthday Up There

Nina Margaret Midget

4.2.11 ~ 5.1.09

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A Little Something Sweet ~ Mini Banana Loaf September 5, 2014

Hello friends,

I remember when I was growing up my grandmother always had to have “a little something sweet” after eating dinner. She believed everything in moderation and never over ate, but she loved her sweets. She would also proudly remind me that the most she ever weighed was 120 lbs, and that was when she was pregnant with her twins, my mother and uncle.

I haven’t seen 120 lbs since the birth of our first son, but I also believe everything in moderation. Sunday dinners are my favorite meals to cook and sometimes I too like to have “a little something sweet” after eating.

Recently while looking through the clearance racks at Walmart I found these Welcome Home Brands Mini Baking Pans. They are made from oven safe paper and are a perfect size for “a little something sweet” dessert.

I cooked chicken and collard greens for dinner and then decided to make some Jiffy Banana muffins using the mini Baking Pans instead of a muffin tin. Following the box directions I filled each mini pan with 1/2 batter without pre-greasing which wasn’t necessary. After putting them on a baking sheet, they were placed in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.

The mini banana loaf removed easily from the pan, there was no scorching and the bread was delicious, which was made a little more so when topped with banana slices and cherry sauce – just “a little something sweet!”

How about you, do you like to have “a little something sweet” after dinner?

Don’t forget to come back at 6:00 p.m. for the #WWDParty!

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In Loving Memory of My Grandmother May 1, 2014

Gone but never forgotten….

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Celebrating Women’s History Month March 11, 2014

March is Women’s History Month

Women are mothers, daughters, grandmothers, aunties, cousins, friends, nieces, teachers, preachers, sisters, neighbors, educators, caregivers, employees, employers, owners, entrepreneurs, guidance counselors, creators, inventors, investors, investigators, helpers, wives, girlfriends, lovers, singers, divas, dancers, actresses, artists, disciplinarians, mediators, physicians, schedulers, chauffeurs, bankers, buyers, cooks, chefs, cleaners, household managers, coaches, bloggers, shoppers, shapers, innovators, magicians, money managers, doctors, lawyers, judges, jurors, justice seekers, writers, survivors…

We as women wear so many different hats that it would be nearly impossible to list them all here. You don’t have to be famous or popular to be recognized because we all have made history by touching someone’s life and that’s cause for celebration.

Like you, I am sure there were women in your life that were very special and deserves to be celebrated. For me it was my grandmother, Nina Margaret Midget – she is the one who made me the celebrated woman that I am today!

Who are you celebrating this month?

Stay Blessed – No Stress in 2014!

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Sunrise & Sunset From The Back Deck December 16, 2013

Hello Friends and Happy Monday

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are up and at ’em for a terrific week ahead. I’m usually up at 6:00 a.m. but never home before 6:00 p.m, which is why I can catch a weekday sunrise but not a sunset. However, thanks to last week’s snow storm, I was able to catch them both from my back deck.

Behind me and to my left the sun is rising but in order to get a good shot and not one of me squinting, I had to step forward a bit.

Now with the holidays approaching I begin to think and miss my sister and grandmother even more. I have a hat box full of jewelry including brooches and pins that once belonged to them so I decided to wear two of them together in their honor.

These Route 66 knee high suede boots were purchased several years ago at Kmart. I keep them dry and clean by spraying them with a rain&stain guard protector from Payless.

Which do you prefer, a sunrise or a sunset?

Remember the song, “These boots were made for walking” by Nancy Sinatra? You may be too young and if you are, here it is on YouTube.

via YouTube

Have a fantabulous day – Smooches!

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Minted.com Personalized Holiday Cards November 3, 2013

This is a sponsored post for Minted.com, for more information please read my Disclosure Statement located in the top tab.

Hello Friends and Happy Sunday, I hope you enjoyed that extra hour of sleep!

Now we can talk about the holidays?

My grandmother loved to write and send out greeting cards, she would buy them for every holiday and special occasion. Each year she would send a Christmas card to her more than 20 grands and 40 great grandchildren, I still have boxes of them in storage.

Beginning in November, as soon as the holiday season began her first purchase would be for Christmas cards and they would be written and addressed before Thanksgiving. She loved writing little notes inside and did it every year up until 2008, when she could no longer after becoming bedridden. That year, I bought the cards and helped her write and address them and it was also the last time because she passed away in May 2009, at the age of 98.

One year we took a family picture that included her and put a copy of it into each of the cards and she absolutely loved it. I have often regretted that it didn’t become an annual tradition because it would have been nice for her grands and great-grandchildren to have those pictures today.

Minted.com is an online stationary company that provides consumers the opportunity to create their own uniquely designed photo holiday cards. I wish I had of known about Minted.com when my grandmother was still alive because I would have definitely ordered cards from them to send out to our family and friends.

If you are like me, you only keep the personalized photo cards and recycle the others so getting a card from Minted.com, would definitely be a keeper. Many of you have wonderful photography skills and these luxurious holiday cards are fully customizable to include your favorite family photo with a personalized greeting.

You can choose to use one photo or pick one of their multi photo cards to showcase all your family pictures. To further enhance your photos, all of the holiday cards are available in your choice of thick Signature paper, 100% recycled Premium paper, or on Pearlescent paper.

Excellent customer service will assist with any questions you may have including help with downloading your family photos. With Minted.com Address Assistant your recipient’s address can be printed on your envelopes at no additional charge giving them an even more elegant look.

This year I am going to do a family portrait because I have a feeling that my sons will be out and about doing their own thing soon, and I don’t want to miss out on yet another opportunity to create a special card.

Sign up for emails or follow Minted.com on Pinterest, Facebook or Twitter to be the first to know about their exclusive offers and new designs.

Have a fantabulous day – Smooches!

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Sitcoms of the 60’s September 17, 2013

Hello Friends and Happy Tuesday!

Driving home last evening I started thinking about the old TV sitcoms that I loved to watch as a child, the ones that made me rush through dinner so I could lay in front of the television set until bedtime. We didn’t have a lot of homework so the only thing that might have cut into our TV watching time was Bible Study and/or Prayer Service at Church.

Now thanks to online websites like Retro Cafe, Hulu and YouTube as well as over the air stations like AntennaTV and Cozi TV, I can watch them anytime I want. Having only 3 stations and broadcasting ended at midnight with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner these were my top ten favorites.