Christmas Cards and Baby Slings

www.vistaprint.com/savings2011
good deals, including 10 free Christmas cards

www.sevenslings.com
Coupon Code: ucover
pay only the $11.95 for S/H for a baby sling.

www.uddercovers.com
Coupon Code: seven
pay only S/H for a nursing cover


Short and sweet... just thought I'd share

Best Brownies Ever...

I recently made a discovery....and it's probably not a good thing. I found THE best brownie recipe I've ever tried, and it is fabulous. Crusty top, fudgy, fudgy middle.... mmm. I think I've lost track of how many times I've made them already. They are great with a good cup of coffee. The recipe comes from King Arthur Flour (www.kingarthurflour.com)

Wicked Easy Fudge Brownies

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This is one of our long-time favorite fudge brownie recipes. It makes a reliably delicious, moist, fudgy pan of brownies, perfect for that potluck you forgot about till the last minute.

1 cup King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural or Dutch-process cocoa OR 1/2 cup black cocoa + 1/4 cup natural or Dutch-process cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
1 stick butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl in the order in which they're written. Stir, then beat the mixture till smooth.

Spoon the batter into a lightly greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake the brownies in a preheated 375°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until they're just barely beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Let them cool completely before cutting. Yield: about 2 dozen brownies.

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The first time I made them, I thought I didn't bake them long enough. They'll still be a bit gooey, but when they cool- oh, wow. I must confess, I used generic cocoa and the flour I had on hand. I loved the recipe because it's all ingredients I generally have available. I even mixed up extra batches of the dry ingredients last time I was mixing, just so I have some ready to mix. Come to think of it, I have one batch left that just needs to be mixed and baked. Uhm... I gotta go now, I have something I need to do...

The Things "They" Do...

For Adults with ADHD, Parents of children with ADHD, Mental Health Professionals, and Teachers:     As a therapist, I’m always on the lookout for more resources for my therapeutic toolbox. A while back, I found www.additudemag.com. It’s full of helpful articles dealing with adult ADHD, tips for parenting children with ADHD, tips for school success (good for parents and teachers both), discussions about medication management, and much more. There are forums for discussion and a magazine subscription is available. If you are a parent of a child with ADHD, an adult with ADHD, or a teacher… do check it out.

For Mental Health Professionals     Also, along with the mental health theme of this post, I’d like to share a link for www.diagnostictabs.com. In grad school, I thought about how nice it would be to have tabs for the DSM so I didn’t have to flip back and forth and search for diagnostic criteria. Turns out, someone else had the same idea. Just when I hoped "they" would make such a creation, I learned that "they" do; so I purchased a set of the tabs a while back, and I must say… well worth the $15.45.  

Coupons, Coupons, Everywhere...

Donna was nice enough to share a link on the previous blog entry for a website that gives coupon codes for online purchases: shopathome.com - Thanks, Donna!

I frequently use Retail Me Not to find coupon codes as well. I've used it many times for Papa John's coupons. (Did you know you could order pizza online or via text?? Oh, how things change! I've never been sure why, but I've always hated being the one to call and place a pizza order... one of my many quirks, I guess.) Retail Me Not also helped me save nearly $100 on an order for therapy toys at work. Check it out! 

Christmas in.... September?

So, I can now say I've been able to get a pretty good start on my Christmas shopping. For the past several years, I've tried to start my shopping in the spring or summer for several reason. It's easier on the budget. Not only does it spread purchases out over multiple pay periods and give me time to hunt for good deals, it helps me prevent last minute panic purchases because I just have to find something. Having more time for that "something" means I have more time to pick something that suits the gift recipient better. Not every gift I find is just THE perfect one, but i'm more likely to find something that's just right when I start early. One last reason: I enjoy it more. I enjoy searching for just the right gift when I'm not being rushed.... and this year, I could really use some gift giving joy!

A site I've recently found and now stalk... uhm... I mean check regularly is www.1saleaday.com - there are new deals every day (and occasionally every 30 minutes), and the deals are pretty good ones. Go check it out and let me know what you think!