Just Like Nana Used to Make

My Nana lived large, if you know what I mean. Her personality could envelope~sometimes smother~a room. Her bunions knew no peers. She dealt dozens of card games with her grandkids, from Poker to Canasta to Rummy to Spit.

And she loved to cook, plus take a "taste test" every so often. Well, more than just occasionally. Because of this, my Nana was a little thick around the middle.

The first recipe that I recall from Nana's vast repertoire was the "1, 2, 3, 4 Cake." She'd recite the recipe~she called them "receipts"~in a thick mid-Alabama drawl, slightly tinged with Texas Hill County.

"One cup of butter. One cup of sugar. Three cups of flour. And four eggs!"

That part sticks in my mind, and I know she whipped up a "1, 2, 3, 4 Cake" at every opportunity. But as I got older, I started to wonder: How could a cake turn out to be so yummy with only those ingredients included?

Turns out Nana was on to something. I just didn't remember the recipe right. And even Paul Deen has a version. She calls it the "Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake."

Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs (Paula's "receipt" threw me off here~isn't the flour supposed to come next?)
3 cups sifted self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Using an electric mixer, cream butter until fluffy. Add sugar and continue to cream well for 6 to 8 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour and milk alternately to creamed mixture, beginning and ending with flour. Add vanilla and continue to beat until just mixed. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Level batter in each pan by holding pan 3 or 4 inches above counter, then dropping it flat onto counter. Do this several times to release air bubbles and assure you of a more level cake. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Cool in pans 5 to 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto cooling racks. Cool completely and spread cake layers with your favorite frosting to make a 3-layer cake.

This is the cake of my childhood. It must still be an old standby, judging from the 45 comments Paula has on her Web site:

"I like this cake because it's plain, but classy!"
"This is the first 'from scratch' cake I've made that I've liked better than the results I get from a box mix!"
"This is the best cake ever!"
"This is an easy, versatile cake that can have any number of flavorings added to it."

That's the ticket! Nana made a lot of cakes that looked the same, but they all tasted different. Some featured peaches; others fresh strawberries. She had a doozy that was infused with some kind of caramel sauce, too.

So there you have it. The "Basic 1-2-3-4 Cake," courtesy of Paula Deen. Just like Nana used to make!

Negotiating the Highway of Life

After posting the Lombard Street pic last Wednesday, I started to think about how the years have just zoomed by. About a dozen primo memories came crowding to mind.

Like the time I went to the DMV with College Girl~then 15~so she could take the test to acquire her permit. She passed with flying colors, and I tossed her the keys to my Blazer.

"What do you want me to do with these?" she queried.

"Drive us home."

"In the car?"

"That's what I was thinking, sweetie."

I should note that rush hour had just started, and the kid~seriously~looked like she was about to pee her pants at the prospect of negotiating traffic that time of day. But we made it home~safely, I might add. That was the one and only time I felt like I was driving with my Mom instead of my Kid behind the wheel.

It wasn't long, though, before she was zooming hither and yon in my old bucket of bolts, and Moker and I were staying up late, hoping she'd make it home in one piece.

Then there are the tales of trying to teach my girls how to drive a stick. Why is it that getting started is so difficult with a manual transmission, but they really know how to get that engine racing in the upper gears?

As we've negotiated the Highway of Life, we've run into a couple of speed bumps along the way; most of it, though, has been a pretty smooth ride.

Joy to the World

Here's another way to say this:

"As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses,

for you only get to play one round."

~Ben Hogan, professional golfer~

Contemplating life, love, joy and beauty while getting my yard in shape for Spring. Have a Sunny Sunday, wherever you are and whatever you're doing!

Kittens for Lunch?

I'm guessing this must be "Animal Planet Weekend." First the dangerous~but oh, so creative~dog, and now a mother on a mission. Aunt Julie, of course, is responsible for forwarding both to me!

This clip from CBS's Assignment America proves, I think, that mothering is an instinct. I have to say I was a tad nervous when the dog picked up her first kitten. But it must have been love at first bite!

Dangerous Dog Alert!

IMPORTANT-Please read!!

If you are an owner of a dog that belongs to a "dangerous breed" category and you also have a small child, please take this as a warning.

Don't leave your dog with the child unattended under any circumstances. Only a little moment was enough for the following to happen...

OK, Aunt Julie put me up to it...it comes from that vast, Cavernous Creativity Central known as The Internet. Thought this would be a Fitting Foto for Candid Carrie's Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. Don't you?

Lost and Foundry in Neenah, WI

Part of Veggie Mom's March contribution to the Random Complexity Writing Challenge. 247 words.

Hmmmmmmm...what might a manhole cover thingy be doing at the top of today's post?

Well, yesterday's SFO Snap got me to thinking about our family vay-cays, and the one constant in all of them.

The Neenah Foundry.

Opened in 1872, the Foundry manufactures something called "castings"...known to most of us as manhole covers, tree box grates and other fascinating bits and pieces of the urban~and not-so-urban~landscape.

The Foundry was founded (Ha! Get It?) 137 years ago in Neenah, WI...home to that fabulous lighthouse I showed you last summer, Kimberly-Clark (think Huggies, Kleenex and Kotex, for sure!) and, of course, POPrs.

Yup. Neenah is Uncle Lynn's hometown. Where most of the POPrs Family resides. And when we go on vay-cay, we haul Ye Ol' Canon out for the obligatory Palm Tree, Wildlife and Sunburned Children Snaps. But we take other, more unusual vacation photos, as well.

I think I have about three hundred and seventy one snaps of Neenah Foundry "castings"...predominantly portraits of manhole covers, from Maui to Dallas to Miami to the Cayman Islands. This particular portrait was snapped outside AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants.

So, the next time you're shuffling off to Buffalo (or St. Louis, Butte, San Diego), make sure to take a closer look at your surroundings. By "surroundings," I mean the pavement beneath your feet. Anything that has a "municipal utility" look to it. And check out the manhole covers. If they say "Neenah Foundry," they originated in our backyard!

Wordful Wednesday: Twists and Turns

A friend at work was talking about teaching her daughter how to drive. That conversation brought back tons of memories...not all of them of the delightful variety. But I did start thinking about the day we "conquered" Lombard Street~the shortest distance ever with eight sharp switchbacks~in San Francisco.

The kids didn't even want to attempt the descent, so they left it up to Dear Ol' Mom. My Sis got out and took the photo. You can see one kiddo in the shot, but not the driver~probably because I was white-knuckling it all the way down!

"To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first."

William Shakespeare

I would say that about driving down Lombard Street, too! Playing along today with Angie and her Wordful Wednesday.

Is MySpace the Next "Booty Call"?

Caught the Ultimate Chick Flick with my youngest last night. The premise of He's Just Not That Into You makes me slightly ecstatic that I'm not dating anymore.

Ginnifer Goodwin and Justin Long are fanTAbulous in this flick. I even left the theater thinking Jennifer Anniston and Ben Affleck should be a "couple." And although I usually like Scarlett Johansson in the roles she chooses, I think I'm gonna have to rethink that~she's not a very sympathetic character in this movie.

A tad cheesy, heavy on the cotton candy, feel-good chick flick moments, but overall an entertaining couple of hours. Also some primo lines, which will probably be quoted for some time to come:

“A girl will never forget the first boy she ever likes.”

“He’s totally gonna call.”

“Maybe he lost my number or is out of town or got hit by a cab."

“MySpace is the new booty call.”

“I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work, so I called him at home, and then he e-mailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting.”

Spring is in the Air!

Another of Veggie Mom's contributions to the Random Complexity Writing Challenge. 347 words.

After hibernating, lo these many months, the toesies have come out to play.

Yup, went to the local nail salon yesterday afternoon and got the "full treatment." Some say that March Madness means that Spring is in the Air. I say the fun colors and skin-bearing daring of a pedicure signals the advent of the prettiest season.

My toes have a history, if you want to know the truth. I've always been known as the Girl with the Crusty Feet. My husband and children are blessed with skin so soft, it could have been transplanted directly from a baby's butt. Me, not so lucky!

I started getting pedicures as a way to smooth out those heels and spruce up those piggies. I have always had a hankerin' for going barefoot, so might at well play up the fact that my toes had disrobed, right?

Then, as the years flew by, it got to be a habit. No, I don't go to the salon every week...in fact, my feet pretty much hibernate, as far as glamor is concerned, during the winter months.

But when Spring has Sprung, when those crocuses and daffodils make a show of pushing up through the crusty top layer of the frozen tundra, it's time to take my crusty old feet in for a tune-up.

I indulged in a little "Spring Cleaning" yesterday. Yes, I got the heels scraped (and scraped and scraped..."How long has it been, Miss?" the technician queried), my nails cut and the obligatory dollop of Broadway Red enamel brushed across ten toenails.

But I also basked in a Sea Salt Scrub. Just had to exfoliate after all those months in thermal socks and sneakers!

I've assumed the pose above before~first, when Hot Tub Lizzy mandated we wear plaid on Election Day, and then again in December, when lamenting the Green Bay Packers' perturbingly pathetic season. Showing my piggies off again today, in honor of the advent of Spring.

Spring, indeed, is in the Air. But don't tell Bucky Badger~he's gone home to hibernate 'til basketball season starts again next November.

Badger Basketball: Sending Positive Vibes Bucky's Way

OK, I know. A Badger is a rodent. One who burrows in the ground, and is "notoriously vicious when cornered."

But this pesky little critter is also the mascot for the University of Wisconsin. The mascot's name is Bucky Badger (pictured above at a Wisconsin basketball game). And Bucky needs you to send positive vibes his way today.

Bucky just squeaked through in overtime late Friday night to beat Florida State in the NCAA Men's basketball tourney. Things are most delightful at my house this weekend, because of that very fact.

Please keep your fingers~and your toes~crossed for Bucky as he takes on Xavier today at 2:20 p.m. EST/1:20 CST. On CBS, in case you're tuning in. We'd like to finish out the weekend around here on a pleasant note, OK?

Keep It Clean!

A friend of mine has a 5-year-old daughter. They had quite the profound conversation yesterday:

5-year-old: I've decided what I want to be when I grow up.

Mommy: Really? What?

5-YO: I want to be a pastor.

Mommy: So you want to work at the church and teach people about Baby Jesus?

5-YO: No, I want to bath-tize babies!

Mommy: laughing laughing laughing

Hope you have a Wonderful Weekend!

Friday Foto Finish Fiesta: On, Wisconsin!

Can Bucky Badger Basketball take Florida State tonight in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tourney? Jammin' and I sure hope so. Moker will be awfully difficult to live with if his Beloved Wisconsin Badgers lose in the first round.

The game's not 'til later tonight. I'm debating whether to wait up and watch. Might as well, though, since Dear Hubz will be making so much noise nobody will be able to sleep, anyway!

I know...I'll serve some milk with Cocoa POPrs in it. That will settle his stomach and give us strength for the battle to come.

Wisconsin might be playing FLA State, but I'm Playing Along with Candid Carrie today. Wish us luck!

Google is My New BFF

Another 263 words for the Random Complexity Writing Challenge!

Many of my POPrs Pals have followed my technological odyssey~from The Blue Screen of Death, to the Almost-Dead Dell, to My New Brain, ad infinitim.

Well, your pal Veggie Mom faced another cyber-obstacle yesterday when she realized (a little too late) that she'd forgotten to back up the most precious piece of technoware she owns.

College financial info? No. Thousands of digital photos documenting my children's every breath and step? Of course not.

Tax documents? Nope. Work files? Nil. Digital music?

Oops.

Spent most of the day at work worried about the 3,607 songs I had patiently spent the better part of four years loading on to the old Dell. The one that crapped out on me. The one that bit the dust.

I forgot to back up the iTunes folder when I changed brains.

Ever the optimist, I decided to "Google" my problem. And guess what? It's entirely possible, with a little bit of patience, to transfer music from an iPod to a new desktop computer. I'm not going to say it was easy, but it wasn't brain surgery, either.

So I'm happy as a clam, with my updated iTunes 8-point-whatever, and all those songs, ranging from Abba and Beethoven to George Strait and Willie Nelson. In fact, I'm listening to my tune-age as I type this post.

Thanks so much to a guy I met on Google named Lifehacker. And props to Google for hooking us up. My musical journey isn't complete, but I'm on my way.

I've got 42.2 days' worth of songs to work through before the next crisis.

Wordful Wednesday: The Complete Package?

The following 453-word post was composed as part of the Random Complexity Writing Challenge. Enjoy!

As she enters middle age, I have a confession to make. I wanted to like Barbie. I really did. But Ken's sexuality got in the way.

My older cousin had the whole collection: well, at least what was available at the time. Barbie. Her boyfriend, Ken. A Barbie Jeep. And, of course, a Barbie Doll House. Oh, how I coveted that doll house!

When my Cuz would come over to play, we'd play "Barbie." But I never really got to actually play with Barbie. Or Ken. I was always relegated to "taking care of the house," or "driving the Jeep."

We were middle class, but my SAHM didn't earn a paycheck. So that meant No New Barbies for me. I would have to wait.

I come from a "hand-me-down" culture. When Cuz grew out of her party dresses, they went to me. When she tired of her toys, same thing. And with the four-year gulf between us, I just knew it was only a matter of time before Barbie and Ken~and all their cool accessories~would be mine.

My dreams came true sooner, rather than later. Cuz had just hit middle school, and hormones had just hit her. I was only 8 years old; I only had eyes for Barbie and Ken.

Until they arrived at my house, that is.

Growing up in a family of all girls (except for my Dad and the cat, of course), I was curious. I gathered up Barbie and Ken and all the paraphernalia that my Aunt had just dropped off at our house and I headed for the privacy of my bedroom. I'm a modest person. I figured Ken would be, too.

I decided that Barbie wanted to take Ken and the Jeep and go on a picnic. So I changed her into more casual attire. Ken, who was wearing slacks and a nice shirt, probably wanted to get more comfortable, too.

I peeled off Ken's nylon shirt, his slacks. Then I peeked in his briefs. Ken, you might say, was not the complete package. In fact, he had no package at all.

Ken changed into his picnicwear. He and Barbie and I took the Jeep for a spin in the backyard. My neighbor, Peter, was playing on the tire swing. That seemed a lot more fun than scooting plastic dolls around in the crabgrass and making up faux picnic dialogue.

I left Barbie and Ken under the apple tree. The rain came down in buckets that night. The rest, as they say, is history.

Every time I'm in a toy store, I swing by the Barbie aisle. I made eye contact with Ken the other day. I thought I saw him wink. I, of course, blushed.

Participating in Angie's Wordful Wednesday...please look her up!

Éirinn go Brách...We Have a Winner, Lads & Lassies!

And her name is Heather, from But I Don't Want to Be a Cowboy! Please send me your contact info, Heather, including the T-shirt sizes of the whole family, so Uncle Lynn can send you your Pop'rs Prizes and your $100 Tar-Jay Gift Card!

And thanks to EVERYONE who entered The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway. Over the past week we've had more than 400 entries, so stay tuned~another Pop'rs Giveaway will be coming your way soon!

Before we close today, M'Dears, I'd like share some neat St. Patty's Day Trivia, brought to you by AOL~in honor of the day, and all. And that's no blarney.

• St. Patty actually wasn't Irish; he was born in Wales, and brought to Ireland as a slave when he was 16.
• The largest St. Patrick's Day Parade is in New York City.
• There are 34 million Irish-Americans.
• St. Patrick is not "officially" a Saint. He has never been canonized by the Catholic Church.
• Leprechauns are the cobblers for fairies, and the most leaves a shamrock can have is 14!

And PS: The title of this post, also sometimes seen as "Erin Go Braugh," means "Ireland Forever."

This Little Leprechaun Has Pop'rs on Her Mind!

Top O' The Mornin' to ya, Pop'rs Pals! Today's the last day for you to get in on The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway, so get to it! For more info on that, Click Here!

This cute little Leprechaun is Bella. Her Mom, Jeannie, of Jeannie's Happy World, is a Pop'rs Pal of the Highest Order. You remember Bella's Pop'rs Infomercial last month, don'tcha? She's the one who coined the phrase, "Pop'rs Rock!"

We're announcing our Giveaway Winner tomorrow morning, so hold on to your hats, me Lads & Lassies!

Pop'rs: Thinking Outside the Box

Jammin' wants YOU to know that YOU have two days to get YOUR rear in gear and boogie on over to make sure YOU'RE in line for YOUR very own box of Pop'rs Prizes and a $100 Tar-Jay Gift Card. For more info on that please Click Here!

A snowy Sunday in March is the perfect time to talk about Pop'rs...how much FUN they are, how GOOD they are for you and yours, and what a GREAT product you, too, can get your hands on.

Have you tweeted me this week? Followed me here or on Twitter? Commented over at Fractured Toy or blogged about Green Party Goods or this contest? All of these earn you extra entries in The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway. We're drawing One Lucky Winner at Random on Monday night. Go on, get goin'!

Bucky Badger LOVES Pop'rs!

Happy Saturday, everyone! Remember, our Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway runs through Monday night at 11:59 p.m. EST. For more info on that, please Click Here.

Our little friend Jammin' is back today. She's a big fan of the University of Wisconsin Badgers. Looks like Coach Bo Ryan's Basketball Badgers will be getting an invite to the Big Dance, although from the moans and groans I hear from Moker when he's watching them play, the team isn't as stellar as it has been in years past.

We have a shrine, of sorts, in our basement, dedicated to Bucky Badger's 1994 appearance in the Rose Bowl. Moker was there, butofcourse. I stayed home with the kids. Considering all the crazies who attended, I think I had a better view of the actual game!

Jammin' will be back tomorrow, with more info on Pop'rs Prizes. Stay tuned!

Quilting with Candid Carrie

Here's a Friday Foto of Big Bear and one of Aunt Julie's latest creations. But before I explain, I want to remind you about The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway, featuring Pop'rs Prizes AND a $100 Target Gift Card! For more info on that, please Click Here.

Aunt Julie got in the mood to make another quilt a while back.

"It is the same pattern as College Boy's," Aunt Julie explains. "Called Texas Hold 'Em. My boys went through a poker phase, and I made the first one then. They are all the same pattern, with subtle differences. All three share the same plaids, with different borders and backgrounds.
Still need to make one more for Soccer Boy. And I have another one almost done and ready to photograph. All it needs is the binding!"

Thanks to Candid Carrie for hosting her Friday Foto Finish Fiesta. Our Pop'rs Pal Jammin' will be back tomorrow. And don't forget my giveaway!

Post-Birthday Pop'rs Party!

Whew! Jammin' and her friend Veggie Mom are exhausted! Aunt Julie's birthday party was lots o' fun, but I think we ate too much cake...

Jammin's BFF, Babar, went home to Paris to hang with his Peeps. But before he left, he bequeathed this awesome Pop'rs T to his friend, Jammin'. She's just now trying to figure out how to wash it and shrink it, so it fits nice and snug. Jammin' does love the fashion that flatters!

Both Babar and Jammin' wanted me to remind you of The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway, which runs through next Monday. The giveaway features Pop'rs Prizes and a $100 Target Gift Card, too. But for more info on that, Click Here.

A Pop'rs PS: If you comment on every post this week, you get more entries!

Wordful Wednesday: A Birthday Poem, AND a Winner!

Hey, all you Pop'rs People! We have a Winner in our SITS Spring Fling Giveaway! Shannon, from Welcome to the Nuthouse, Come On Down! And please send me your contact info~we'll get your Prizes, including Pop'rs and Pop'rs T-Shirts for the whole family, out to you right away!

Thanks, BTW, to the SITS Girls for hosting the Spring Fling. We can truthfully say that A Good Time was Had by All!

In the meantime, you know that Uncle Lynn and Veggie are hosting another Giveaway this week, right? It features Pop'rs Prizes AND a $100 Tar-Jay Gift Card! For more info on that, Click Here. And don't forget to comment on all of my posts this week, for more entries!

Now, Veggie Mom, being the ever-vigilant SIL, wants to commemorate Aunt Julie's Birthday today, with a little ditty she penned just for the Pop'rs Queen. Sorry I didn't bake a cake, Julie Eliz...but this Faux-Veggie Cake's good enough, isn't it?

Ode to Aunt Julie,

On the Occasion

of Her Big Day!

There once was an Auntie named Jules

who often chose to break the rules;

She quilted and baked

and gardened and raked,

as if trained at the finest of schools.

She had a SIL name of Vee

who wrote verse with profoundest of glee;

Vee wrote and she wrote

'til she had a whole boat-

load of limericks, most worthy, for free!

Vee picked up her good friend, named Jammin'

the times they had always were slammin'.

Although Jules had not met

Jay, Vee thought she could get

these two together, no scammin'!

So Vee got a birthday-type cake

from Google, don't make a mistake;

The cake featured carrots, beans, peas,

and strawberries, you see;

fruits and veggies won't cause bellyache.

You probably must realize by now

Jules' birthday is here, oh and how!

So the Vee and the Jay

will come over to play

with Aunt Julie, please take you a bow!

Jules requested a poem for today

like the one that Seuss got, but say, hey!

I just don't have all the brain

power, it is such a drain

to create silly verses all day.

So we are here partly to say

that Aunt Julie's the Girl of the Day.

She doesn't have Seuss

but could this be a deuce

of a present to celebrate her birthday?

Please check out Wordful Wednesday, over at Seven Clown Circus. Also, this Birthday Poem was penned not just for Aunt Julie, but for the Random Complexity Writing Challenge: 219 Words!

Pop'rs Part of SITS Spring Fling!

First things first~I've got a week-long giveaway goin' on, and it involves a $100 Tar-Jay Gift Card. For more info on that, Click Here.

Now, let's get down to today's post. Jammin' invited her friend Babar over to enjoy some Pop'rs...and to model some Posh Pop'rs Wear!

Of course, Uncle Lynn and little ol' Veggie Mom are participating in the SITS Girls' Spring Fling. It's the ultimate in giveaways...over at their site and all around cyberspace, too!

We're offering you a whole set o' Pop'rs~that oh-so-good-for-you and FUN seasoning, which encourages everybody to Eat Their Veggies! AND...wait, there's MORE...a Pop'rs T-shirt for everyone in the fam!

Pretty neato torpedo, huh? All you have to do is comment on this post. Uncle Lynn will pick the winner of today's giveaway by Random Drawing, and what could be sweeter than that?

Make Your Yogurt Yummy!

Meet Jammin'. She's a string doll, and she just loves her Pop'rs. Her People, including Veggie Mom, are sponsoring The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway. For more info on that, go here. But make sure you comment on this post, too, so that you can get more entries in our contest!

Did I tell you that this Pop'rs Giveaway features lots of fun stuff, including a Tar-Jay gift card? Thought so...

So, today Jammin's focusing on Pop'rs in yogurt. She likes to sprinkle Color Burst, Strawberry, Raspberry and even Cinnamon Pop'rs...she calls this concoction Jammin's Yogurt Surprise!

Pop'rs, the innovative and fun seasoning, invented by Uncle Lynn, comes in eight flavors, and is good for you, too! You might remember the infomercial from February's Giveaway...oh, those silly boys! But seriously, folks, Pop'rs are delish on more than veggies. And so good for you, too.

Tomorrow's the SITS Spring Fling, and we're offering Pop'rs Goodies for that, too...so make sure to tune in!

A St. Patty's Day Giveaway That's Jammin'!

Hey there, all you Pop'rs Pals! Meet Jammin'~she's a string doll extraordinnaire. Actually, she's much, much more than that~Jammin' is an Attitudester, and I "adopted" her in a giveaway offering from The Lovely Mannequin over at Fractured Toy! And, yes, to those of you who might be wondering~Jammin' is having a Pop'rs Party on top of my new brain...

It's true~today I'm featuring a gift I won in a giveaway to promote a giveaway just as great! Uncle Lynn has authorized me to launch The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway, and there are two special prize packages lined up for you!

First off, our St. Patty's Day Pop'rs Party will run from today until 11:59 p.m. EST on the 16th...that's plenty o' time for you to get your entries in and line up that fabulous green outfit you'll be wearin', Me Wee Lassie, when I announce you as the winner on The Big Day!

Secondly, this is a giveaway within a giveaway. What do I mean by that? Well...Tiffany and Heather, our galfriends over at The Secret is in the Sauce, are hosting a Spring Fling on Tuesday, March 10th. That day, these generous SITStas will be featuring hourly giveaways on their site. They've turned this celebration into a carnival, encouraging one and all to sponsor individual giveaways on the 10th, as well.

Sooooooo...you can win twice with Veggie Mom! Enter my Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway, then enter my Spring Fling Giveaway, and you'll have 2X the fun!

What do you win? Let me tell ya!

• For the St. Patty's Day Pop'rs Giveaway, which closes on the 16th, you win a complete box of Pop'rs~those eight fabulous flavors that help you and yours Eat Your Veggies like you should! Plus Pop'rs T-Shirts for the whole fam, and...GET THIS...a $100 Target Gift Card, as an added incentive!
• For the SITS Spring Fling on the 10th, I'm giving away Pop'rs~all eight flavors~and Pop'rs T-Shirts for the whole family. What could be sweeter than that?

How many times can you enter The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway? As many times as your heart desires. Just leave me a holiday-appropriate comment on this post, or on any and all of my other posts until the 16th, and you're in! One comment=one entry.

Follow this blog, and you get five additional Giveaway entries. Follow me on Twitter, and you get five more entries. Post this adorable snap of Jammin' and her Pop'rs, and blog about this contest~with a link to both me and Mannequin at Fractured Toy~and get five more entries! Please make sure to let me know in a comment when you've followed me and where...and also when you've blogged about the St. Patty's Day Pop'rs Party!

And I've got one more incentive for ya~visit Green Party Goods, where Cute Little Jammin' was born, and blog about their creative collection of critters, and you'll get five additional entries in The Great New Pop'rs St. Patty's Day Giveaway. And please let me know when you do!

That's it for now, Pop'rs Pals! Just remember~A comment saved could be a Pop'rs Prize earned!

Cooking with Clara

Meet 93-year-old Clara Cannucciari (she's 91 in this video). Clara~who says she is 100% Sicilian-American~and her recipes are all the rage on YouTube now. She hosts Depression Cooking with Clara. The shorts are done by her grandson.

Via video, Clara explains countless tasty, inexpensive and good-for-you dishes, which her mom and grandmother used to make when she was growing up in Depression-era Chicago.

Clara also has a Web site and a blog. Tune in to Clara on YouTube for some yummy, money-saving meals!

Meet the Beatles!?!

Well, really, I want ya to meet Aunt Julie's side of The Pop'rs Family from a few years back. Auntie J. always does Creative Christmas Cards, and this was no exception. But somehow this little gem got stuck up on the fridge with a Beatles magnet...and you do see the resemblance, don'tcha?

In the phun photo on the left, clockwise (from left): Big Bear, Shark Boy, College Boy, Trouble Elizabeth, Moses and Soccer Boy. In the other phun photo, clockwise (from left-Geez Louise, I feel like this is a yearbook!): Ringo, John, George and Paul, sans dogs.

I don't know. Did the Beatles have dogs? Playing along with Candid Carrie today and her Phriday Photo Phinish Phiesta!

My Dell's a Dud!

Aunt Julie sent me this yesterday. For those of you who remember my Blue Screen of Death post in December, this is just about how I feel about my Dell right now. I've become so frustrated that I treated myself to a little "half-year" birthday present the other day and purchased a new brain. For my computer, that is.

If I fall off the Face of the Earth in the next couple of days, you can blame it on Dell. I know I will!

Wordful Wednesday: With Apologies to Theodor Seuss Geisel

This birthday tribute to Dr. Seuss was scribbled as part of the Random Complexity Writing Challenge. 190 words. And PS: This poem was created as part of Angie's Wordful Wednesday.

One year two year

red year blue year.

Black year blue year

old year new year.

One might have a little star

One might feature a new car

Say! What a lot of years there are.

Yes. Some were red. And some were blue.

Just ask George Bush, and Obama, too!

Some were sad.

And some were glad.

And some years were you

very, very bad?

Why were they sad and glad and bad?

I do not know.

I've asked my Dad.

We learned to read with your silly fish

your zany Whos, and with Horton, too.

We followed the antics

of those who did that:

The Sneetches, The Grinch

and The Cat in The Hat.

So we'd like to wish you

48 hours late

the birthday of birthdays,

you just are so great!

'Cause young children still read

to remember your day.

Green Eggs and Ham

just won't go away!

It's hard to believe

you're one hundred and five.

When we read your short books

you're most surely alive!

So, please, take this poem

for what it is worth

we all wanted to remember

the day of your birth!

A Prolific Poster's Top-10

I'd do just about anything for a $250 Target Gift Card. But Auds at Barking Mad is making it ever-so-easy for me. And for you, too! She's having a contest. The prize is a $250 Target gift card. And all you have to do is list your Five (or 10, if you're an overachiever) Favorite Posts. Oh, and Auds would like for you to sign Mr. Linky, too.

Contest ends at 10 p.m. EST tomorrow~that's March 4th. In the interest of "true disclosure," I should note that I first found out about this from Karla, who found out about it from Jennifer...and so on and so forth.

Being the prolific poster that I am, and also because I'm slightly on the overachieving side, I've got a Top 10 for ya. Hope you enjoy them!

10. Would You Like Geraniums with Your Coffee? 6-28-08 Funky, fun. BTW, I was still finding my bloggy "voice." And, yes, used coffee grounds make marvelous geranium fertilizer! Mine are still going strong...

9. Have Quilt, Will Travel! 7-16-08 One of a series of posts featuring Aunt Julie's amazing quilts. The gal really knows something about this old-fashioned artistry!

8. Ode to Vanna White 8-18-08 Quirky tribute to a white Econoline van. Her name is Vanna. She's white. Get it?

7. Empty Nesters 9-12-08 Both girls moved on, and off to college. Bittersweet, I think!

6. Don't Let This Photo Get Your Goat! 10-6-08 I got all sassy that day, as the SITS Featured Blogger. Here's another of Aunt Julie's Superb Snaps. I'm still recovering from all the Comment Love from that day!

5. Election Day Plaid Party! 11-5-08 In a demonstration of solidarity, Hot Tub Lizzy told us to wear plaid. So I did. Packers Plaid, to be Precise!

4. Pretty Cheesy 12-16-08 Yes, I ranted about the Green Bay Packers all season. This was our "rebuilding," Brett-less year, am I right? But I think that this post, perhaps, was just an excuse to feature The Packers Pope. And this Cheese Bra is to die for, no?

3. He Feeds More Than My Soul 1-21-09 Getting into a writing competition sure boosted the quality of my output, that's for sure. Note to self: 1,000 quality words a month is quite a few!

2. She Has the Time 1-28-09 Another writing competition contribution.

1. Snow Daze 2-9-09 I kicked off Tiffany's 2-week bloggy respite by writing about my Snow Phobia. What a fun fortnight that was...and, of course, I entered this one in the writing competition, too!

There you have it, Pop'rs Fans! Hope to see some of your Top Faves this week, too!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Bling

Thanks so much to Kally from A Little Bit of Life on the Side; she awarded Veggie Mom a little "pick-me-up," which helped a whole lot in getting rid of the Snot Monster.

Per the rules and regulations of The Sisterhood Award, which was originated, BTW, by Diana Rambles, I need to pass this Bit o' Bloggy Bling along to a well-deserving bunch. Here are the R&R, first off:

Put the logo on your blog or post. Nominate at least 10 blogs, which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude! Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

That's it, folks! Please send out some Bloggy Love to the following Group o' Great Gals:

Susie's Homemade

Rhonda's Rants

Zander & Me

Holding Patterns

Mom Cooks & Reads Books

One Krazy Kat Lady

Writers, Witches & Words, Oh My!

Optimistic Cynicism

The Journey

Honest & Truly

I Concur~Wholeheartedly!

I could have used a little of this advice in my younger years. Now that I'm a much more Mellow Fellow, I tend to just go with the flow.

What was it that got me so riled up when the World was Very Young? I have no clue. At all. Those days, of course, were before I discovered Pop'rs and their calming effect...

This message, of course, is brought to you by Thoughts for 2009. For other profound pronouncements, please Click Here and Here.