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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

My Unoriginal Thanksgiving Day Desserts

Desserts. Second only to the turkey itself. 

This year, finally achieving "adult" status in my eyes, I have self appointed myself to make desserts. I'm not one to experiment on my family (friends, that's a different story!) so I have pulled out a recipe for Pecan Pie Bars.


Supposedly all flavor and half the work.

Please check out the recipe here: Pecan Pie Bars

I'm also making Eclair Cake, this recipe was whispered to me by one of my dearest friends so I'm not sharing. ;) Think of fluffy light filling between layers of graham cracker topped with a perfect chocolate fudge frosting. But seriously it a favorite of everyone that it meets. You'll just have to take my word for it.

But if you ask me the one thing I've been dreaming of eating for Thanksgiving desserts--it's peanut butter pie.

I can't decide which version to make! 

There is frozen with Oreo crust:


Or Southern Style: 


Or Peanut Butter with Chocolate Chips


AHHH! Can't decide.....



Friday, November 16, 2012

Going Galt

 This independent idea occurred to me one day; it turned out to be not original. The idea stemmed from one of my favorite books--Atlas Shrugged. Now, regrettably I am no Dagny Taggart, John Galt, or Hank Rearden so punishing society by leaving society won't work for me. I actually don't even have a job, which is terribly embarrassing. Well, that is beside the point. There are three main problems I faced when reflecting upon myself as a person.

One, I fit the definition of a looter. Not that I take government assistance but that I don't contribute. This dismayed me. I hate looters on principal. 

Two, in America, we are sending ourselves into a downward spiral and I'm not doing anything to prevent that or prepare myself. Let's face it, I see new shoes at Charlotte Russe and I am all about figuring out how to purchase them. There are many, many reasons this is a terrible mentality but we aren't going to get into that.

Three, I avoid exercise like the plague. Why? I must be lazy because once I actually exercise I feel great! I have no excuse, there a treadmill four feet away from my couch. 

So the conclusion: I am lazy looter that is obsessed with things I can't have but can't accomplish the feat of making money. Ugh. The worst part? It's all my fault.

Yes, it is my fault. There are no excuses.

I am not content with being this person. Throughout my formal education I had drive, persistence, and excellence. What happened? Well it turns out it doesn't matter what happened. It only matters what I am going to do about it. 

1. I made a schedule, a to do list, and goals. Finally, I have a sense of purpose?

Now really, what does that have to do with "Going Galt"?

The price of groceries and goods has and will continue to sky rocket. My family will not be able to keep up in the state we are in financially. 

Going Galt for me will include scaling the already threadbare budget back. We will sell a car, cancel car insurance on that vehicle and cut registration fees in half. If we cannot sell a car, we will take one to the scrap yard. Two, roommates are important. Right now, we've cut the rent in half by having roommates and completely eliminated utilities and internet costs. And guess what 95% of the time having roommates is awesome. 

I will start a serious garden with fruit trees, veggies, and nuts. Research into a chicken coop will be considered. 

One of the things Dagny Taggart did on a break from society is fix up a cottage. I don't have a cottage to fix up but I can work on drafting plans for a greenhouse and furniture. My interior design degree might actually be useful after all. 

Wish me luck. 


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Carraba's Coupon Alert


Eric and I's favorite chain restaurant would have to be Carrabba's Italian Grill. Sure, it's pricey, but the flavors are to die for. 

This week there is a coupon on smartsource.com for the zip code 32901 that is $10.00 off the purchase of two entrees. The coupon is good until December 9, 2012. Check it out if Carrabba's is one of your favorites! 

Let me know your favorite restaurants and I'll post excellent coupons to cheer up your day. <3