Rusty (and Adam) Rock!

J's babysitters are on vacation this week, so I had to take him to the office with me today. He's a good kiddo...he plays on the computer or keeps himself pretty entertained when he is with me.

And he LOVES Rusty...one of my coworkers who is so good about paying attention to J and making him feel so important.

Well, Rusty and Adam were going to lunch together today, and Rusty asked J to go with him. Can I just tell you that it meant the world to him to be able to go with the guys out to lunch.

Isn't it funny how when someone loves your child you just appreciate and love them even more?

I have been blessed to work with such amazing people...I am surrounded by talented, smart, and amazing people.

But today, all I have to say to Rusty and Adam is a huge "Thank You!" You guys rock!

A Little Yummy for Your Tummy

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE courtesy of Hersheys.com

Ingredients:
CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST(recipe follows)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST. Heat oven to 300°F.

2. Place butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 30 to 45 seconds or until melted. Stir in cocoa until smooth; set aside.

3. Beat cream cheese in large bowl. Add cocoa mixture; beat well. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until set. (Center will be soft.) Remove pan from oven to wire rack; loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. To serve, garnish as desired. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake. Garnish as desired. 12 servings.

CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST: Place 6 tablespoons butter or margarine in medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in 1-1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (about 45 wafers), 6 tablespoons powdered sugar and 6 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa; blend well. Press mixture onto bottom and 1/2 inch to 1-inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.

Those friends you call in the middle of the night...

Do you have those friends that you can call at midnight and talk to through wee hours of the morning?  You know the ones...you can go into their house and feel like family.  You know where they keep the can opener...and the extra TP.  :)  

I am so blessed to have friends like that.  

There's Katie...she lives farther than a reasonably priced phone call away, but when we are together, it seems as if we were never apart.  We laugh hysterically together, we cry together and we eat large quantities of bacon together.  

Then there's Paula.  I can call any time...day or night and know that my heart will be blessed. She's been there at those middle of the night moments when life felt like it was going to end. We are not only connected in our hearts but by our brains.  

I miss that here in Lynchburg.  I have met some amazing women, but no one that fits into that category yet.  Someday, I hope to have a friend like that close by, but until then I will cherish those who have become such a part of my being.  Those who have made me a better person than I ever would have been without them in my life.

And to the MANY other girlfriends out there who have touched my life in many ways:  I love you!

J's Fabulus Job

We live behind a putt-putt course and a fudge shop.  Every day, J takes the mail to Jacque, the fudge shop owner.  He has been doing this since just after we moved in last September.  

He loves Jacque and spends lots of time up at her shop.  She is such a sweet lady, and she loves J's visits almost as much as he does!

A month ago, she started to let him push the buttons on the cash register.  He has become quite good at running the register.  :)  So, she gave him at baseball hat with the shop's logo on it.  He decided that he needed a shirt, too.  So, we enlarged her logo and made him an iron-on shirt.  

Now, he gets a serious face every day after we get home.  He runs to his room, gets his hat, and says.  Well, I have to go to work.    :) 

One day, a nice gentleman gave him an $18 tip.   Needless to say, J LOVES his "job."

Please Pray

Please pray for Tricia Lawrenson today.  She had to be readmitted to the hospital for testing.  I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to go back to the hospital when she just got home.  Please check out their website for the full details and extent of their testing.

There is nothing new under the sun...

It has been EXTREMELY hot here in Lynchburg this week.   So hot, that even my 7 year old would rather play board games than basketball.  We have managed to play a series of games: Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry and Life.

There in nothing new here in Stantonland.  I am grateful for a peaceful, happy home...and air conditioning.

Until next time...