I Love the Akron Zoo - Akron, Ohio

I Love the Akron Zoo - Akron, Ohio

Check out this article for a fun tour of the Akron Zoo in Ohio.

Mother To Son A Prose Poem

It hurts me so to see your life in turmoil

I want to hold you, comfort you

Tell you everything is going to be okay

How I so wish I could make your life easier

Life is not that simple

You have to stand on your own

There are things in life that I cannot fix for you

Only you can do this

I am here and I will listen, try to guide you

Give you my advice, and love you unconditionally

But it is you that must fight to make things right

I cannot do this for you

When It Is Time: Farewell Friends

When It Is Time: Farewell Friends

Smartphone Accessories For Christmas

Smartphone Accessories For Christmas

Krispy Kreme Burger Craze

A week ago I went to the Canadian National Exhibition also known to Canadians as The Ex, which is an 18-day fair held at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario.  We always enjoy the food that this fair has to offer, as there are many new, unusual and delightful treats to try. This year the big attraction was the Krispy Kreme Burger. Because I have been dieting for three months and having a hamburger sandwiched between two donuts was not really all that appealing to me I passed on the opportunity to indulge in one of these 1500-calorie delights. My brother in law on the other hand just had to have one. After waiting in line for half an hour to purchase the Krispy Kreme burger, he arrived back at the table displaying what he had bought. Of course I had to take a picture of this and as you can see it is a burger sandwiched between two glazed donuts. After watching him eat half of the donut I had to know what he thought about it. He said that it was quite tasty with a salty and sweet fix all in one.

The Krispy Kreme burger costs $8.00 and if you like you can have for an extra $2.00 a fried egg and bacon added to the burger to go along with the lettuce, tomato and cheddar cheese.

If you are planning to attend any fairs or carnivals this fall I am sure that many will be featuring this hamburger, as it is quite the attraction.

To top off your meal you may want to try a deep-fried chocolate bar or deep-fried Twinkies on a stick that is all the rage this year.

Easy To Follow Barbecue Recipes

On these hot, hot days of summer most people do not  want to cook inside. This year in North America we have all experienced some really high temperatures. With the state of the economy I am sure that many people are finding it hard to just pick up the phone and order out for food as they may have done in past summers. I have always enjoyed cooking outdoors on my gas BBQ grill and usually continue to do so until we have a lot of snow.
I have published quite a few of my own recipes online that I want to share, which I will do over the next couple of days. Please feel free to leave comments if you do happen to try any of these recipes and let me know if you enjoyed them or even if you added something different to them that you think makes them even better.

Being a big fan of Soulvlaki I came up with this recipe so that I could enjoy this Greek dish all year round.

This recipe is for Pork Soulvaki Dinner and is absolutely delicious. For this recipe please follow this link.
http://just-ask-susan.hubpages.com/hub/Grilled-Pork-Souvlaki-Dinner-Recipe-With-Grilling-Tips

This dish is made from pork sirloin, green and red peppers, onion and garlic. This dish was a hit with all of my family and there were no leftovers.

The Kingsford grill grid (similar to the one in the above picture) really does come in handy for many grilling recipes. You can cook fish, seafood, vegetables and more on this handy grill. Cleanup is so much easier with one of these grills.
   

Almost Time For Back To School Shopping

                                                                           fbceg_photos


August is fast approaching and before we know it September will be here. To avoid all the crowds that descend upon the malls, start your shopping early and avoid the stress that back to school shopping can cause.

Before you hit the stores make a list of needed items such as:
Clothing
Shoes
Backpack
Lunch bags, thermoses
Binders, paper, notebooks
Rulers, pens, pencils, erasers,
calculator

Check with your child to see what they still have from last years supplies that they may still be able to use this year and save you a bit of money.

With your child go through their closet and dressers and see what still fits and at the same time pack away or hand down the clothes that no longer fit them. If anything is in need of repair put aside to fix or sew.

Sit down with your child and discuss a budget on how much can be spent on clothing and necessities. This will save a lot of arguing when it comes to either shopping online or in the stores.

The Internet is a great resource when it comes to price comparisons. Bookmark all of the stores that you shop at and search online for the items that you and your child are looking for. This can save a lot of searching through the malls and stores. Many times at amazon.com you can find excellent deals especially on backpacks.

         














Staples Business Depot will soon be sending out their back to school flyer and they will usually have some good deals on all the school supplies that students will be needing this year.

For children that stay at school for lunch here are some great items you may want to consider purchasing.
   














Thermoses are wonderful for children taking hot soup, stews, pastas or even hot chocolate to enjoy at lunchtime.

















Have fun shopping for this upcoming 2011/12 School Year.

How Moving Can Affect Children

                                           http://s409.photobucket.com/home/jasperian012

                                                                            

 Growing up I went to four separate elementary schools in two different countries and four high schools in two different states. Some may think how wonderful that must have been to have the chance to travel to different places and meet new people. It was to a point. The part that wasn’t so great was that every time that I would start to feel comfortable in a new place we would up and move again.  In elementary school it wasn’t all that bad but come high school it was very hard as people had friends that they had hung around with throughout a big part of their lives. I would make a few close friends and then have to leave them behind to go and start all over again.

What The Experts Say About Uprooting Children

Some children will suffer from constantly being uprooted which can cause depression and even lead to suicide. Not all children can cope with change very well and moving around from one place to another can be traumatic and very stressful. There have been studies done with children that are not uprooted and with children that are. The percentage of children that both attempt to commit and succeed in suicide have a higher percentage than those children that do move around.

Self esteem as well as self confidence is affected from uprooting. Behavioral problems can occur which in turn can lead to alcohol and drug abuse.

Many times people do not have a choice and have to move or there is a divorce and or relocation is an absolute must. Children in foster homes are constantly being uprooted.

When I look back to my personal situation I can see many of the problems that I had. I am not blaming anyone but I did have a self esteem problem, suffered bouts of depression, ran away from home and after doing the research on uprooting children I am happy that my problems were not as severe as they could have been.

With my own family we have lived in the same town for the past 22 years and fortunately my children only had to change schools once in their entire lives. I really do envy them as they have had the same friends since kindergarten and I truly believe that because of this they have a high confidence level, feel totally secure in their environment and in their own skin. 

Food Cost Rant From a Canadian

With the economy and the state that it is in, it is no wonder why more and more people are gaining weight. Eating healthy is expensive these days and many cannot afford the healthier choices that they once could. Food prices have been on the rise for quite some time now and by the looks of things prices will keep climbing.

I for one used to buy many more fruits and fresh vegetables that what I do now. We still try to eat as healthy as we can at my house but with the rising food costs every day I am starting to struggle.

Grocery shopping has become quite the chore, as it is depressing to walk through the aisles and notice the rising costs of everything. A year ago I would purchase twelve-grain bread and it was around 1.89. That same loaf of bread today can now cost anywhere from 2.79 to 3.79 just depending on if there is a sale or not. The bread I used to call junk bread was .99 now it is 2.29. Considering I go through a loaf of bread daily I am always on the look out for sales. If lucky enough to find it at 2.50 a loaf this means I am paying 17.50 a week for bread alone.

My mouth dropped the other night when I saw tomatoes on sale for 2.79 per pound. On sale you have got to be kidding! 

Coffee is another one. Two years ago I used to buy President’s Choice coffee for 6.99 for the large can. The prices slowly rose to 9.99. Last week the cost hit 12.99. In two years the cost has doubled.

So anyways back to healthy eating…. hard to do when the prices are skyrocketing no matter what way you look at it.  People when faced with larger bills such as cost of gas, home heating, insurance, electricity which have also taken a hike, tend to cut back on the good food and purchase either less or cheaper. This will make our health suffer in the long run as well. If you do not get your daily vitamins and nutrients you are more likely to become ill.

Some people thought I was nuts when turkeys were on sale from October thru January as I was making a turkey once a week throughout that entire time. I was able to get at least 3 dinners out of the bird as well as lunches. We did get sick of turkey but at least we were saving a bit money paying .99 per pound.

How do senior citizens cope that on are a fixed income. What about very large families how do they do it? I really think the world is in big trouble in many not only in the rising cost of food. I could go on and on forever but I will stop here.

Please leave feedback if you like. I would love to hear how people are coping these days.

Recipe Easy Glazed Ham

                                                                                                     markcp

You are all ready to start cooking Easter dinner and you realize that you forgot to get canned or fresh pineapple to put on your ham. I have done this so many times so I found a recipe for a glaze that tastes great even without the pineapples. When I am making something I rarely measure the ingredients unless I am making it for the first time. The following is approximate measurements.

¼ cup of packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix all the ingredients together and if it seems a little runny to you add more brown sugar until you get the consistency that you like.

When cooking an 8 – 10 pound ham I place the ham in a roasting pan face down. Meaning exposed part of the ham (meaty not fatty part) is facing down. I add about ¾ of an inch of water to the pan and cover in aluminum foil. Bake at 300 degrees F for about 1 hour. Remove ham from the oven and take the foil off. Brush on the glaze and pop the ham back into the over for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and put the ham on a cutting board or a large platter. Let the ham sit about fifteen minutes, slice and serve. If you didn’t happen to forget to get pineapples this glaze works well with pineapple juice rather than the apple cider vinegar. Toothpick your pineapple slices onto the ham then follow the rest of the directions here.

I used to glaze the ham before putting it into the oven initially. I have found that glazing it during the last ½ hour of cooking time seems to work better for some reason.

There are so many different ways in which to make a glaze for ham. I have substituted apple juice and orange juice for the apple cider vinegar as well. 

Heather Russell Another Amazing Canadian Talent Hits YouTube

Look out Justin Beiber there is a new girl on the block waiting to take your spot and her name is Heather Russell from Toronto, Ontario who has the voice of an angel, writes her own music and is only ten years old. Simon Cowell former American Idol judge has given her a contract signing her to his record label. He discovered Heather on YouTube after being tipped off from Zack Werner a former Canadian Idol judge. This child has soul with a bluesy voice. To not only sing like she does but to be able to write the words and the music like this is truly spectacular. What talent! Cannot wait to hear more from this amazing young girl.

Related articles

• Heather Russell (buzzfeed.com)
• Could 10-year-old Canadian follow Bieber's YouTube path to glory? (theprovince.com)
• Could 10-year-old Canadian follow Bieber's YouTube path to glory? (canada.com)
• Cowell signs 10-year-old spotted on YouTube (independent.co.uk)
• 10-year-old girls the latest YouTube sensations (thestar.com)

Food Prices On The Rise Again

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Here we go again food prices on the rise in Canada.  Forecasted to rise five percent by the end of 2011. So many people are struggling already trying to feed families and this is just going to make things tougher. To eat healthy on a fixed income is realistically impossible. I am still in awe of the cost of a can of coffee and a loaf of bread. Unless you can find a really good deal on bread it is costing on average $.2.00 - $3.00 per loaf. Sure you can go to the dollar store and buy it for a dollar but have you tried the bread there? It’s just disgusting!  Bread went up 1.4 per cent between December of 2009 to December of 2010. Last night in the grocery store I could not believe my eyes from last week to this week four litres of milk increased from 4.17 – 4.47. It does not seem that long ago the cost of a large can of coffee was 9.00 and now the same can is 11.99. They say prices go up then come down. I would like to know where this happens because it sure does not happen here in Canada. Meat prices are ridiculous and have increased 3.8 percent since 2009. Isn’t it bad enough we are paying higher taxes, higher electricity costs, gas prices are off the map, insurance and now we have another gouging for food coming up.

Here are some good sites to go to to get coupons:

http://coupons.smartcanucks.ca/
http://thinkcoupons.ca/
http://www.freemania.net/samples/canadianfreebies.htm

Contest Giveaway

Over the next 2 weeks I am running a contest for a gift coupon worth $35.00 for any product of your choice from CNS stores. To enter simply leave your name and email address below under comments   I will announce the winner On February 11th, 2011. You may visit the CNS stores online and choose any product you like and use the $35.00 coupon as a partial payment or you may just find something you like for the total amount of the coupon. CNS stores has everything you could possibly want or need for your home. To view their website go to http://www.csnstores.com

One Item You May Want To View To Keep Warm

During the cold winter nights while relaxing on the couch or sitting in your favorite chair watching TV or reading a book snuggle up with this Biddeford Blanket throw. Made from soft fleece this throw is heated with a digital control. There is nothing worse than having a chill right after you have gotten comfortable and with this throw there is no need to get up and turn up the heat. This throw is available in denim, brick and taupe and is machine washable. At CNS stores you can have this delivered right to your front door if you live in the U.S.A. or Canada. 

Corner TV Stands At Fabulous Prices

So you have just purchased a new TV and are not sure where to put it. Before going out to look for a stand have a peek at what CNS stores, an online website, has to offer. There are so many to choose from at affordable prices. The  corner TV stands are one of my personal favorites as they all have ample storage space for all your viewing equipment, movies, stereos and more. Easy to assemble and no matter what your décor you will surely find one that you must have. From modern/contemporary, traditional, simple, rustic or antique, in wood, metal, metal and glass or just glass, you can find them all and more.

 This  TV stand would look great in a bedroom or family room and has so much storage space.








For a glass  TV stand this is a wonderful contemporary design  made from thick tempered safety glass and has a piano black finish.


















Fast and free shipping is available in the USA and Canada. 

Grill Indoors This Winter With The George Foreman Grill

Image via Wikipedia

Are you a big fan of barbecuing but hate to trudge through the snow at this time of year to grill a steak or make a juicy mouth watering burger? You can stay inside in the warmth of your cozy kitchen and get that same great barbecue taste by cooking on a George Foreman Grill. Sits right on your counter top, is easy to clean, cooks fast and the best part is it is healthier by far to use one of these indoor grills than it is to fry or broil. When you cook on this grill all the fat drains out and into a drip pan.

George has improved his grills over the years. Before they did not have removable plates and sometimes were difficult to clean. But now with the Next Generation Grill clean up is a breeze as the plates are non-stick, removable grill plates and is dishwasher safe. What more could you ask for in a grill.

This grill will cook everything from vegetables, meat, fish and more.