Want a quick frosting that won't taste like just another spread on can of it?
Once your cake is cool, simply warm up a can of frosting -- not too warm, just warm enough that it is easy to work with -- then put it in a bowl and stir in a container of Cool Whip. Adjust the amount of Cool Whip, using more for a milder frosting and less for a sweeter one. You can use any flavor of frosting you like. (Of course once spread on the cake, the cake will have to be kept in the fridge.)
My family doesn't care much for frosting from a can because it is just so sweet, but everyone who has tried one of my cakes made this way loves it and thinks it's some kind of frosting I made from a recipe that required work. (Smile)
Friday, June 15, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Warning About Flea Treatments
I've really, really had my hands full the last week, especially the last few days. If any of you have been to the pet page on my website, you know I have way too many dogs. (But I love 'em all.) We've had a time with fleas this year. Used to, Frontline seemed to work, along with this flea dip I can't get any more. Then Frontline got where it just wasn't working that well at all and wasn't even lasting very well. On top of that, the price has gone up a lot in the last couple of years until it got to the point that I really just couldn't justify or afford the huge cost with the number of large dogs I have.
Well, things were already going bad first thing Tuesday morning. I've been dealing with a very sick puppy for a few days, making trips back and forth to the vet. Tuesday morning I awoke to find the two dogs that stay outside, were both missing. Some how the gate had got opened during the night and they were gone. After searching the neighborhood, we managed to find one, but not the other. I had to have the puppy back to the vet for another IV at eight-thirty, so I gave up after another hour and came home to get ready to go.
Believe it or not, on the way to the vet, I actually found my other missing dog walking down the road with a woman. We were late for the vet, but I was so happy to have found Kane and Clover and have them both home safe and sound.
I was at the vet a long time, Korin's IV bag takes nearly two hours. We made it home and Korin was doing so much better than he had been doing for days before, that I actually felt hopeful he was going to make it. Since I was feeling a little better about him, and was feeling a little better myself since I had been dealing with a stomach bug too, I thought I would go on and treat the well dogs with some flea stuff I picked up at Wal-Mart. It was Sergeant's Gold Flea & Tick, the kind in the little tube that you squeeze on down their backs. (I've used a lot of different kinds over the years, cheap and not cheap.)
After I used this one though, in less than an hour, Lucky started throwing up. I thought with dread that he was taking the same nasty virus that Korin had. Then Lucky began to shake, then shake worse, then he couldn't walk. I thought about the flea stuff and grabbed him up and bathed him twice. I then handed him to my daughter and ran around checking on my other dogs. All seemed well until I looked outside at the two out there. Clover was drooling every where and shaking all over. That began a mad dash to wash every dog at least twice, once with a shampoo and then after doing a little research on line, we used dish washing liquid. During the research we found page after page of info from people who had lost their pets after using this flea stuff, or some other one like it.
It was a very long evening after an already long last few tense days, but by yesterday morning, Lucky and Clover seemed to be over it, and all of the other dogs were acting fine. I took Korin back to the vet and he is off the IV, doing well, eating, on meds by mouth, and the vet said she doesn't need to see him again. I still almost ended up by there yesterday. I have a dog that has seizures and wouldn't just know that he had to have one yesterday just when everything seemed to be calming down again. But he is fine and I was able to control the seizure and get it stopped without a trip to the vet. (I didn't put the flea stuff on him, Korin, or Kane.) I hope they all stay fine for a long while now. So does my credit card. (Ouch!)
Long story short...
If you have a dog, please be very careful with any of these once a month flea treatments, especially this one and other over the counter types that promise to act quickly and last a long time. If you have a cat, be even more careful, since it seemed there was even a larger listing of people who had lost cats from one of these types of flea treatments.
Well, things were already going bad first thing Tuesday morning. I've been dealing with a very sick puppy for a few days, making trips back and forth to the vet. Tuesday morning I awoke to find the two dogs that stay outside, were both missing. Some how the gate had got opened during the night and they were gone. After searching the neighborhood, we managed to find one, but not the other. I had to have the puppy back to the vet for another IV at eight-thirty, so I gave up after another hour and came home to get ready to go.
Believe it or not, on the way to the vet, I actually found my other missing dog walking down the road with a woman. We were late for the vet, but I was so happy to have found Kane and Clover and have them both home safe and sound.
I was at the vet a long time, Korin's IV bag takes nearly two hours. We made it home and Korin was doing so much better than he had been doing for days before, that I actually felt hopeful he was going to make it. Since I was feeling a little better about him, and was feeling a little better myself since I had been dealing with a stomach bug too, I thought I would go on and treat the well dogs with some flea stuff I picked up at Wal-Mart. It was Sergeant's Gold Flea & Tick, the kind in the little tube that you squeeze on down their backs. (I've used a lot of different kinds over the years, cheap and not cheap.)
After I used this one though, in less than an hour, Lucky started throwing up. I thought with dread that he was taking the same nasty virus that Korin had. Then Lucky began to shake, then shake worse, then he couldn't walk. I thought about the flea stuff and grabbed him up and bathed him twice. I then handed him to my daughter and ran around checking on my other dogs. All seemed well until I looked outside at the two out there. Clover was drooling every where and shaking all over. That began a mad dash to wash every dog at least twice, once with a shampoo and then after doing a little research on line, we used dish washing liquid. During the research we found page after page of info from people who had lost their pets after using this flea stuff, or some other one like it.
It was a very long evening after an already long last few tense days, but by yesterday morning, Lucky and Clover seemed to be over it, and all of the other dogs were acting fine. I took Korin back to the vet and he is off the IV, doing well, eating, on meds by mouth, and the vet said she doesn't need to see him again. I still almost ended up by there yesterday. I have a dog that has seizures and wouldn't just know that he had to have one yesterday just when everything seemed to be calming down again. But he is fine and I was able to control the seizure and get it stopped without a trip to the vet. (I didn't put the flea stuff on him, Korin, or Kane.) I hope they all stay fine for a long while now. So does my credit card. (Ouch!)
Long story short...
If you have a dog, please be very careful with any of these once a month flea treatments, especially this one and other over the counter types that promise to act quickly and last a long time. If you have a cat, be even more careful, since it seemed there was even a larger listing of people who had lost cats from one of these types of flea treatments.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Prayers & Good Wishes Needed
Over a year ago I wrote a message here about my my sister's grand baby needing prayers and good wishes. Well, he needs them again. He's in the hospital once more, this time on life support. Back then they didn't give him much hope of seeing his first birthday. Well, he made it. Now we are hoping for a second one. He was born with something called Autosomal Recessive Cutis Laxa Type One. There are only a couple of hundred people or less in the whole world with Cutis Laxa, and his is the very worse kind. It is a rare genetic disorder of the connective tissue. On the outside it shows up in loose and hanging skin, but it does worse stuff inside. He has had one battle after another, and has seemed to be doing so well lately. He just started walking and seemed to be so happy, and now this. I'm hoping there's some way for him to have more time, if it can be good time. More time for him to laugh, to play with his big sister and his grandma's dogs, to enjoy the new freedom he's found since he has a special daycare where he can spend a few hours at a time with other children. So, if you have a moment, please say a prayer, a blessing, send good thoughts, white light, what ever you can, that he'll beat the odds and be laughing for one more birthday.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Pet Tip: Giving Your Dogs Medicine
If you have more than one dog, like I do, when it comes time to give them all medicine, it can be a little overwhelming. (Smile) I give my dogs heartworm medicine every month, and the regular wormer about once a year. I've learned a few things to help make it not so overwhelming.
First, I keep a piece of paper in the drawer where I keep the meds. On that paper I have each dog's name with their weight wrote out next to it. (You don't have to reweigh them more than once a year unless you have a growing puppy or you notice by looking that your dog might have gained or lost weight.)
Next I bring out a couple of disposable foam plates and a marker. (I only do two dogs at a time instead of wasting a pile of plates.) I write the dog's name and weight on the edge of the plate with the marker. I put some can dog food on the plate, the amount depending on the size of the dog. You don't want to put too much because you don't want to take a chance on them maybe not cleaning their plate.
Now that I'm ready to measure the meds, I have the dog's name and weight right in front of me. That way I'm not likely to make a mistake, and I'm not going to mix the plates up and give Max at 67 pounds the plate I fixed for Clover at 53 pounds. I've worked hard to train my dogs that when a plate is put in front of one, that the food on that plate belongs to that dog, but them being dogs, you still have to watch closely until those two plates or clean. If you can't get your dogs to do that, then put the food and each dog in a room away from the others so there is no chance of someone not getting all of his meds, or even worse, of someone getting an overdoes.
When those two dogs are done, I pick up the plates, mark through the names and weight on them, write in the next two dogs' names and weights, and repeat until they have each had their meds.
The last thing I do is mark it on the calendar so I'll know for sure what date they were given the meds on.
First, I keep a piece of paper in the drawer where I keep the meds. On that paper I have each dog's name with their weight wrote out next to it. (You don't have to reweigh them more than once a year unless you have a growing puppy or you notice by looking that your dog might have gained or lost weight.)
Next I bring out a couple of disposable foam plates and a marker. (I only do two dogs at a time instead of wasting a pile of plates.) I write the dog's name and weight on the edge of the plate with the marker. I put some can dog food on the plate, the amount depending on the size of the dog. You don't want to put too much because you don't want to take a chance on them maybe not cleaning their plate.
Now that I'm ready to measure the meds, I have the dog's name and weight right in front of me. That way I'm not likely to make a mistake, and I'm not going to mix the plates up and give Max at 67 pounds the plate I fixed for Clover at 53 pounds. I've worked hard to train my dogs that when a plate is put in front of one, that the food on that plate belongs to that dog, but them being dogs, you still have to watch closely until those two plates or clean. If you can't get your dogs to do that, then put the food and each dog in a room away from the others so there is no chance of someone not getting all of his meds, or even worse, of someone getting an overdoes.
When those two dogs are done, I pick up the plates, mark through the names and weight on them, write in the next two dogs' names and weights, and repeat until they have each had their meds.
The last thing I do is mark it on the calendar so I'll know for sure what date they were given the meds on.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
On To The Next Publisher
Well, after a few rejections on my starter book for romance writers, my agent, Elizabeth Pomada, is at it again. She's in New York right now and has pitched my starter book for romance writers to St. Martin's Press. When I talked to her tonight on her cell, she said she will be sending the complete to them.
Sooooooo.....cross those fingers and toes for me once again. (Smile)
The other publishers who have rejected the book said they thought there wasn't a big enough market for it. 'Market' being romance authors who would need my starters from time to time. I think there's a whole pile of us out there who hit blocks and need starters. Right? (Smile) Now I just have to hope that St. Martin's Press knows that too, or is willing to take a chance on it.
Sooooooo.....cross those fingers and toes for me once again. (Smile)
The other publishers who have rejected the book said they thought there wasn't a big enough market for it. 'Market' being romance authors who would need my starters from time to time. I think there's a whole pile of us out there who hit blocks and need starters. Right? (Smile) Now I just have to hope that St. Martin's Press knows that too, or is willing to take a chance on it.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
Bogalusa Almost Two Years After Katrina
The two-year anniversary of Katrina is drawing nearer. I remember those first days, and even first weeks, after the hurricane hit here, thinking how things would never, could never be the same. In fact, there were days when I even thought things would never get better.
That first spring afterwards, there were still scars everywhere. You could see them in the destroyed and damaged buildings, in the broken and downed trees, in the abandoned businesses and homes, and in so many other places and ways, even on the people who carried scars on the inside.
But…it’s 2007 and this is a brand new spring. Life does renew itself. You can see that all over Bogalusa. Yes, there’re still scars. The city is still tearing down homes and other structures, some people are still in FEMA trailers, there are still repairs going on in lots of places here. The city just last week finally came and removed four huge oak trees from my street. Three weren’t healthy before the hurricane and more damage just meant they needed to come down all the more. One, the biggest, was a giant beauty though, until Katrina tore the top half out and split sections of the big limbs that were left. My street sure doesn’t look the same without those four majestic trees stranding guard and protecting us from the heat of the summer sun, but it’s what needed to be done.
We lost some great stores and companies, but there are a number of new businesses being built here all at once. Some new things, like a restaurant called the Big Easy Grill, and a new Hot Links sausage company, actually came here from closer to New Orleans. Seems their loss was our gain in a few areas.
People who had their homes too badly damaged to live in, have, or are, moving back into those repaired homes or newly built ones. Places that had really major, major damage, like one of the big churches not too far form me, finally was fixed up enough to have services last Sunday. The city is planting some new trees too and planning things to make the area better.
We learned a whole lot too. The city and the people here will be far better prepared if another Katrina paints a bull’s eye on us.
As for now, help still comes in. The kind that requires muscles and sweat. Bogalusa has had a number of college kids and even members of churches and such, come down for days or even weeks, some even from other countries. At first they might have helped remove trees from roadways and homes and do kind of emergency-need stuff. Now they come and offer free labor to those who were maybe able to buy stuff to repair damaged roofs, floors, or walls, but maybe aren’t able to afford to pay for labor or do the work on their own.
After the hurricane, at first it seemed all anyone heard about was New Orleans. Probably because of the number of people there and the flooding and mostly and sadly the number of lives lost. But there were so many towns and cities that took just as hard of a hit, and even harder, than there--but thankful without the number of lost lives. I think smaller places just didn’t make as good of press. Months later, all you seemed to hear about was the people who had pulled scams and wasted money, and cheated and lied and…it was just all kind of sickening. I think just like some people didn’t notice other places besides New Orleans has suffered, after all the bad press they forgot that there were lots of people who weren’t scamming and cheating, who really needed and appreciated whatever help they got.
I know my family sure did. Still does. Members of my RWC group, some people from where my sister lives in Arkansas, and a couple of friends who lived near one of my cousins in Nashville, all seemed to take us under their wings during those very first few hard weeks. Together they gave us the help we needed to get over the hump. I never added up all of the money and gifts, but it was probably over fifteen hundred. The army gave us meals and water, the Red Cross helped us buy a new water heater and some needed odds and ends. I can’t tell you the number of cards and letters and messages I got from people who simply wrote to say hi and offer hugs or words of support. It was a combination of all of the above that had us back on our feet in record time. We still have floors to replace and shingles on the roof too…but those seem like small things now.
I can’t tell you what it felt like to be able to move back into my own home after the hurricane. I had a lot of great moments back then I can’t explain. It’s funny, but I don’t think I’ve stepped into the shower or crawled into a comfortable bed or ate a hot meal once since I came home, and not thought of how wonderful those things are. Or what’s it’s like to be so low, and to realize that people who you’ve never seen before will reach across a country to offer you what they can. It’s true what they say, without the bad, how can you ever know just how great the good is.
I guess sometimes homes, people, and even cities, are better for their sorrow and their scars.
That first spring afterwards, there were still scars everywhere. You could see them in the destroyed and damaged buildings, in the broken and downed trees, in the abandoned businesses and homes, and in so many other places and ways, even on the people who carried scars on the inside.
But…it’s 2007 and this is a brand new spring. Life does renew itself. You can see that all over Bogalusa. Yes, there’re still scars. The city is still tearing down homes and other structures, some people are still in FEMA trailers, there are still repairs going on in lots of places here. The city just last week finally came and removed four huge oak trees from my street. Three weren’t healthy before the hurricane and more damage just meant they needed to come down all the more. One, the biggest, was a giant beauty though, until Katrina tore the top half out and split sections of the big limbs that were left. My street sure doesn’t look the same without those four majestic trees stranding guard and protecting us from the heat of the summer sun, but it’s what needed to be done.
We lost some great stores and companies, but there are a number of new businesses being built here all at once. Some new things, like a restaurant called the Big Easy Grill, and a new Hot Links sausage company, actually came here from closer to New Orleans. Seems their loss was our gain in a few areas.
People who had their homes too badly damaged to live in, have, or are, moving back into those repaired homes or newly built ones. Places that had really major, major damage, like one of the big churches not too far form me, finally was fixed up enough to have services last Sunday. The city is planting some new trees too and planning things to make the area better.
We learned a whole lot too. The city and the people here will be far better prepared if another Katrina paints a bull’s eye on us.
As for now, help still comes in. The kind that requires muscles and sweat. Bogalusa has had a number of college kids and even members of churches and such, come down for days or even weeks, some even from other countries. At first they might have helped remove trees from roadways and homes and do kind of emergency-need stuff. Now they come and offer free labor to those who were maybe able to buy stuff to repair damaged roofs, floors, or walls, but maybe aren’t able to afford to pay for labor or do the work on their own.
After the hurricane, at first it seemed all anyone heard about was New Orleans. Probably because of the number of people there and the flooding and mostly and sadly the number of lives lost. But there were so many towns and cities that took just as hard of a hit, and even harder, than there--but thankful without the number of lost lives. I think smaller places just didn’t make as good of press. Months later, all you seemed to hear about was the people who had pulled scams and wasted money, and cheated and lied and…it was just all kind of sickening. I think just like some people didn’t notice other places besides New Orleans has suffered, after all the bad press they forgot that there were lots of people who weren’t scamming and cheating, who really needed and appreciated whatever help they got.
I know my family sure did. Still does. Members of my RWC group, some people from where my sister lives in Arkansas, and a couple of friends who lived near one of my cousins in Nashville, all seemed to take us under their wings during those very first few hard weeks. Together they gave us the help we needed to get over the hump. I never added up all of the money and gifts, but it was probably over fifteen hundred. The army gave us meals and water, the Red Cross helped us buy a new water heater and some needed odds and ends. I can’t tell you the number of cards and letters and messages I got from people who simply wrote to say hi and offer hugs or words of support. It was a combination of all of the above that had us back on our feet in record time. We still have floors to replace and shingles on the roof too…but those seem like small things now.
I can’t tell you what it felt like to be able to move back into my own home after the hurricane. I had a lot of great moments back then I can’t explain. It’s funny, but I don’t think I’ve stepped into the shower or crawled into a comfortable bed or ate a hot meal once since I came home, and not thought of how wonderful those things are. Or what’s it’s like to be so low, and to realize that people who you’ve never seen before will reach across a country to offer you what they can. It’s true what they say, without the bad, how can you ever know just how great the good is.
I guess sometimes homes, people, and even cities, are better for their sorrow and their scars.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Spring has Sprung!
I love this time of year. I know it will be too hot all too soon, but for right now most
days are just right. Kind of cool in the morning, warming up during the day, only
beginning to get too hot just when it's time for the cool down to start back over. My
yard has been in full bloom for a while now. I took these pictures this evening of some of the flowers I like the best. It was getting late, starting to get dark, but they still came out pretty good.
Some are of my roses, one is from my dogwood, and I don't know what you call
the purple star, but the flowers are huge and there are a lot of them. It comes back
each year and climbs toward the sky. I hope you spring has sprung too.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Help Find a Cure for Diabetes
Author Brenda Novak puts together a huge on-line auction for the benefit of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation each year. If you are a writer or not, you will find great stuff there to bid on. She's still putting together the items for the auction right now, and the more the better. So....Please....if you have an item, a product, or a service that you would like to donate, you can do so here.... http://www.brendanovak.com/auction_index.php The item might be a
gift certificate or gift basket you put together, a ring, CD, Beanie Baby, ect. If you make crafts and sell them, maybe it's something you made, like a quilt, a necklace, or painting. If you make websites, maybe it's making a free web page, graphic, or banner or ect... If you are an agent or editor, maybe it's a critique. If you are a published writer, maybe it's a signed copy of your latest book or a critique. Since the auction is for readers, writers, and everyone else, if you've got something to donate there's probably someone willing to bid on it to help out with a good cause. (Smile) Hey, if you have big stuff, I'm sure that's fine too, like a laptop, ect... Big or little, it all adds up.
Thanks so much for your help!
gift certificate or gift basket you put together, a ring, CD, Beanie Baby, ect. If you make crafts and sell them, maybe it's something you made, like a quilt, a necklace, or painting. If you make websites, maybe it's making a free web page, graphic, or banner or ect... If you are an agent or editor, maybe it's a critique. If you are a published writer, maybe it's a signed copy of your latest book or a critique. Since the auction is for readers, writers, and everyone else, if you've got something to donate there's probably someone willing to bid on it to help out with a good cause. (Smile) Hey, if you have big stuff, I'm sure that's fine too, like a laptop, ect... Big or little, it all adds up.
Thanks so much for your help!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
My Son at the Zoo
This is a picture I took of my son at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans where he works. I took it yesterday, the day we went with him so he could show us around. I'm sure it was just another day at work to him, although it was his day off, but I just had the best time there. Most of you know how much I love animals. So of course a day with wild ones was just the best. (Smile) I got to hand feed some of the animals, got a little look at some of the behind the scenes stuff, and just really felt like a special guest. Everyone was so nice to us and spoke so well of our son. The zoo is still in some disrepair and some animals are missing, thanks to hurricane Katrina, but there is still so much there to see. People are working every where too, putting in new plants, redoing exhibits that were ruined, getting ready even to add some new stuff. I was just really impressed. So, if you live close enough. on ever go on vacation to New Orleans, make sure you go to the Audubon Zoo. And if you see the guy in the picture working there, tell him hello. (Smile) Find out more about the zoo and even about how to help it recover, by visiting its home page here.... http://www.auduboninstitute.org/site/PageServer
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