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Little did my Mom know, I was a delayed Christmas gift according to the conception stat on the page.

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1.  Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.

2.  Make the best of your circumstances. Everyone has problems. The trick is to make laughter outweigh the tears.

3.  Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall others.

4.  You can’t please everybody. Don’t let criticism worry you.

5.  Don’t let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.

6.  Do the things you enjoy doing, but stay out of debt.

7.  Don’t borrow trouble. Imaginary burdens are harder to bear than the actual ones.

8.  Hate poisons the soul, so don’t carry grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.

9.  Have many interests. If you can’t travel, read about new places.

10. Don’t hold post-mortems. Don’t spend your life brooding over sorrows and mistakes.

11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

12. Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.

Animal crackers, and cocoa to drink,
That is the finest of suppers, I think;
When I'm grown up and can have what I please
I think I will always insist upon these.

What do you choose when you're offered a treat?
When Mother says, 'What would you like best to eat?'
Is it waffles and syrup, or cinnamon toast?
It's cocoa and animal crackers that I love most!

The kitchen's the cosiest place I know:
The kettle is singing, the stove is aglow,
And there in the twilight, how jolly to see
The cocoa and animals waiting for me.

Daddy and Mother dine later with Kate,
With Mary to cook for them, Susan in wait;
But they don't have nearly as much fun as I
Who eat in the kitchen with Nurse standing by;
And Daddy once said, he would like to be me
Having cocoa and animals once more for tea!

 

Last night the local news promo made it sound like they had a huge financial secret to reveal.
It was not news to me but maybe it might be news to you. So here is my consumer report on credit unions and how they work, and how you can benefit by them.

If you are looking for money to borrow, try a credit union where the lending rates may be lower than a traditional bank.

Credit Unions may pay higher rates on savings accounts and CDs and offer interest on checking accounts.

Our credit union has CDs that you can add to over the period of time you have taken it out for.
For instance, if I put $1000. into a CD for a year, within that year, I can add another $1000. to it.
This is very convenient if you are saving up for something.  They also have a "bump up rate" meaning that if I am paying attention to their rates and the interest rate goes up on a one year CD, then I can request that rate be applied to my current CD.  You need to pay close attention to this in order to get it.

Our credit union also has other services too like the various types of loans you can take out -- personal, car, mortgages, Home Equity loans (this will be attached to your mortgage/deed and costs are just like you taking out a regular mortgage).
They also offer investment opportunies, retirement plans, low interest credit cards, educational seminars, insurance, and much more, like fast friendly service.

A couple of other things -- our VISA credit card has a low interest rate on it however, we have to spend $2000. per year in order to keep it at that rate and for free (no annual cost).  I put all my utility bills, oil, gas, and medical bills on the VISA so that this fee will add up.  We also have a 30 day grace period so if I plan right, I charge things AFTER the shut off date per month and get 45 days to pay the bill (when the next bill comes and the next due date on that bill).  We also get 2% cash back every January from the previous years purchases over the $2000. they require you to spend.  Paying the bill off every month means no finance charges and in the end, we make money off them.  Ben Stein calls people who do this, 'dead beats" because the banking industry pays us verses us paying them interest, fees, or finance charges.

Free checking at our credit union happens if  you have a set balance in your overall total of accounts always.  Fall below that balance and they charge you the monthly fees applicable.

We can pay bills from our account and transfer money from one bank  to the credit union or from the credit union to that bank.  There is no charge for moving money into our account but there is a charge ($2.00) for moving money out of the credit union into another bank account.

If you have a mutual fund, you can do automatic deposits from your credit union account to your mutal fund on a regular basis usually at no charge.

Automatic paycheck deposits are a welcome and sometimes earn you extra perks such as discounted interest rates on loans or an increase interest rate on a CD.

ATM fees -- if there is not an association at the ATM you are using, the fees can be high so watch out for that. (I think ours run around $4.00 per transaction, so we don't use it.)  If you take money out of the ATM at the bank or network associate, then there is no transaction fee. Pay attention to where you go.

Credit Unions use to be only for people who worked in certain kinds of places or industries.  Now anyone can become a member or maybe a relative can become a member of your credit union or you of theirs, or you live within a certain area that the credit union covers.  Credit Unions are owned by the members who stash their money into accounts so this reduces their overheads because they work for you, not investors who make money off of profits.

Credit Unions are FDIC secured and are non profit organizations.

Credit unions offer more than you think and you can save money and benefit by them if you are a good financial planner.  Check out your local credit unions and see what sort of services they have that you many benefit by and start saving more of your hard earned money today.

Another simple and easy recipe to make in your crockpot.
I love my crockpot -- cooking without looking -- best invention ever!

In your crockpot add:
1 lb cubed beef stew meat (you can use a bit more than a pound if you want)
1 lb of baby carrots
2 cans of condensed tomato soup (like Campbell's or the store brand)
1 soup can of water
1/2 teaspoon of thyme

Optional: Add a half of package of frozen pearl onions for more flavoring.

Cook for 4 hours on high.

Add to the stew:
2 cans of drained sliced or whole potatoes
1 - 16 oz package of New England Medley vegetables (green and yellow beans, frozen food)

OR 

a 16 oz package of frozen Frenc h cut green beans 

OR

1 - 16 oz package of frozen vegetables (yes you will have extra cubed carrots in your stew)

(So choose one package of frozen vegetables.)

Cook for another hour.

Total cooking time is 5 hours on high.

Start time:
For lunch start cooking at 7 am.
For dinner start cooking at noon

Notes:
You can cut up your own potatoes but you would need to add them to the crockpot for the four hour cooking time.

Using the canned (precooked) potatoes saves time. They only need to be added the last hour because they are precooked.  Adding them in the beginning makes them mushy and they turn black sometimes.  So add them the last hour.

If you are using a package of frozen mixed vegetables, make sure you add them the last hour of cooking time.  If left in the crock pot too long (meaning the previous 4 hours), the peas will shrivel up and collapse and look very ugly.

If you are cooking in the morning -- you can mix the tomato soup, water, beef, carrots, thyme, and optional onions up in the  crockpot and refrigerate over night then just take it out and turn your pot on.

Enjoy

I have been toying with a homemade macaroni and cheese recipe. 
My kids like this one and actually beg me to make it.

2 cans of condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup (like Campbell's)
1 soup can of milk (regular, 2%, 1%, skim, your choice)
2 cups of shredded cheese (mixed like Chedder and Sharp work well)

1 -16 oz box of macaroni, any shape (elbows, gemelli, bows, small shells etc)

Cook the macaroni according to directions and drain.
Put in a large rectangular baking dish either lined with foil (for easy clean up) or greased with margerine or butter.

Mix the milk, soup, and shredded cheese up then pour over the macaroni and mix.
Bake in a 350 oven for 20-25 minutes.

Optional: Add a pinch of mustard to the soup and cheese mixture.

Serve with flavored croutons or French's or Durkees French Onion Rings sprinkled on top.
(I tried cooking them on top but they came out soggy and not crunchy.)

You an add an extra two cups of shredded cheese to the mix if you wish, 
Or Add the two cups of shredded cheese to the top of the mixed macaroni and cheese and bake.

If you add the extra cheese, grease the serving bowls also as the cheese is very sticky and messy to clean up if you don't.

Notes:
Estimated cost: $3.00 - $5.00 (depends on sales) serves 6-8.
Great for a pot luck buffet, fast and easy to make.

9/18/07 -- I have also made this on the stove top recently and my kids prefer that to oven baked.  I put on the macaroni first, and while that is cooking, put in a huge skillet, the soup, milk, and cheese and heat that till it blends together.  Drain the macaroni when done, and put into the cheese (or vice versa) and mix well.

Another easy macaroni and cheese recipe using cheddar cheese soup.