What to do with all your left-over Halloween Candy???

I know you are thinking the same thing...what are we going to do with all our left-over Halloween candy.  First instinct is to eat it. All of it.  Then you (and I) quickly realize that nobody wants to buy a whole new, bigger, wardrobe right before winter.  So I did a little research and surprisingly there are quite a few different places you can donate your unwanted unopened candy.

For all your local Cleveland area parents, Cleveland.com did a nice write about about a local dentist. Dr. Greg DeVor (a prior Navy Dentist) who accepts donations and ships the candy to various military installations.  Here's the article and more information about Dr. DeVor:  http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2014/10/dr_greg_devor_and_other_local_dentists_will_ship_your_leftover_halloween_candy_to_the_troops.html

Most of our local churches accept Halloween candy donations.  I know our church, St. Christopher Church is Rocky River always has accepted the candy.  Feel free to call St. Christopher if you have any questions. http://www.stchrisparish.com/

The two programs that ship carepackages to our overseas military are operation shoebox https://operationshoebox.com/ and operation gratitute http://www.operationgratitude.com/.    Another good place to contact is your local USO.  The Cleveland area USO phone number is (216) 265-3680.  The official USO website is http://www.uso.org/

Rocky River Vehicle Inspection Day

Who doesn't love a free check of their vehicle???

ROCKY RIVER VEHICLE

SAFETY INSPECTION DAY

This Event Is FREE To The Public Provided By The Rocky River Police Department

November 1, 2014 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Westwood Town Center
21675 Center Ridge Rd. Rocky River, Ohio.

Inspection of vehicle includes: Tire pressure check, tire tread check, inspection of all exterior lights, windshield wiper blades, battery checks and more.

Local businesses have provided coupons for the event for a variety of goods and services.

Two officers who are certified through "Safe Kids Worldwide" will be on scene to check the installation, and provide instruction for child safety restraints.

Participants can enter a drawing to win prizes including roadside safety kits, car seats, children's booster seats and more.

Bagels and coffee provided by local establishments.

Event will take place regardless of weather.

Here's the link is you need more information:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/1495b938ae68f866

Christmas isn't that far off....

First of all, I know that Halloween and Thanksgiving have yet to come.  That being said, a lot of people are starting to think about Christmas and what gifts to buy their children.  It seems like kid's presents and their lists keep getting bigger and bigger.  At what point is enough enough?  It honestly makes me sad to read my eldest son's Christmas list and notice that the price tag is enough to feed a large family for a month!  

So this year I plan on getting each of my children one REALLY BIG GIFT.  Then I plan on adding a few medium gifts.  Finally, I will add a bunch of little gifts.  Thankfully those are items I've purchased throughout the year.  Sometimes its little Lego sets. 

 Sometimes its a nice pair of soccer socks.  Small things like that.  

The little gifts make the Christmas seem bigger and don't break the bank.

Regarding the REALLY BIG GIFT....what defines big???  

That is the question that so many parents ask themselves.  

Honestly, I don't have the answer.  

All in all, I find it increasingly hard to remind my children that Christmas is about Christ.  Christmas is about family.  Christmas is about being with the people you love.

Feel free to chime in with ideas or thoughts about Christmas and gift giving.

October is garlic planting time!

Who doesn't love garlic??  
I use it in so many things. Roasted, sauteed, stuffed, in bread...the uses are endless!!!A few years ago I planted my own garlic and had great success.  This fall I was lucky enough to attend the Shaker Heights Ohio Annual Garlic Festival.  It was truly everything that is garlic.  What fun! http://www.clevelandgarlicfestival.org/.  I brought home 3 different types of garlic and was careful enough to set aside some for planting.

So now the month of October is almost over and I noticed that my garlic has yet to be planted.  Planting time and harvest time are easy!  Plant before Halloween and harvest around the 4 of July.  How simple:)  Last year I planted mine in my front planter.  This year I've decided to plant my garlic is a wooden planter similar to this one.

For a more in depth, feel free to visit  http://www.almanac.com/plant/garlic 

or visit Petitti's garden center's website at http://www.petittigardencenter.com/index.php/garden-calendar/3796

My best yet Dry Fajita Mix

Beef Fajitas...its whats for dinner!

Having been a waitress at Ruby Tuesdays in the 1990's, I swore off fajitas for years. Too many "Endless Fajita" specials for too many summers left my arms with little bitty scars from the popping tid-bits of morsels from that scalding hot cast iron skillet.  But as they say, time heals all wounds.  I've found that my taste for a good fajita has reappeared.  Problem is Northeast Ohio isn't known for its plethora of decent Mexican style restaurants.  So I set out to make my own dry rub.  Turns out that this recipe is really tasty.   

Dry Fajita Mix

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon Knorr tomato bullion with chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

I used a 2  pound skirt steak, 1 yellow pepper, 1 orange pepper, and 1 yellow onion. I sliced the vegetables up and set aside.  I took another cutting board and thinly sliced the skirt steak, and set aside. Then I heated up a cast iron skillet, and added a few tablespoons of olive oil.   I sauteed the vegetables for a few minutes, stirring once or twice.  I then added the sliced skirt steak and sprinkled on my desired amount of mix.  I gave it a stir and then covered the pan.  I was careful not to let the vegetables cook too long or they will turn to mush.  I added no water, yet their will be juice from the lid being added to the cooking procedure.  I served them with rice, tortillas, and beans.

Enjoy

Whoa...time to make sure that this isn't going to happen to you and your ATM / Debit card!!

I saw this video and had to share.  Turns out a thief can use a low-cost infra-red scanner to swipe your ATM PIN.  Please watch and be sure to share.

If You Are Not Careful, 

This Can Happen To 

You At a Checkout Line

By Conservative Post on October 14, 2014

The link can be found at http://conservativepost.com/if-you-are-not-careful-this-can-happen-to-you-at-a-checkout-line/