HokiesLady

about me

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Welcome to my AM page...thanks for taking the time to try to learn a bit more about me. I am so totally in love with this site even though I've only been here a bit over a year. My DH loves that he is never asked "what do you want to eat?" because now I just tag and search to my hearts content. I'd say my biggest challenge is to remember to make my own recipes now.

I am a forum host in the Cooking With Friends forum. I love interacting with all the wonderful chefs on this website. I hope you'll drop by and play some cooking tag games! I know you'll have so much fun and meet some wonderful Zaarites!

I have also been known to host a swap event in the Contest and Events forum and this past spring in 2009 was a co-host for the Pick-A-Chef Event.

Can you tell I love to be on this site?!

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I love words and quotations...here are a few which recently have touched me.

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.
---- Charles H. Spurgeon

Happiness is not about being perfect, but about seeing beyond the imperfections.
---Anonymous

The art of being yourself at your best is the art of unfolding your personality into the person you want to be. . . . Be gentle with yourself, learn to love yourself, to forgive yourself, for only as we have the right attitude toward ourselves can we have the right attitude toward others.
---Wilfred Peterson

If at first you don't succeed.... don't take up skydiving. - Unknown

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I am married to a very sweet man for 20 years now. We have 3 children, 23, 15, and 13 and we also have a 4 year old grandson. We have one adorable adopted dog named Libby. She is almost 12 years old but still has her days where she acts like a puppy!

I have a part time business selling Salt City Candles. I love having this business as I get to meet so many wonderful new friends and show them products that I truly enjoy and use everyday in my own home.



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I am a follower of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe that God gives each of us a talent or spiritual gift that He wants us to use for His glory. God has blessed me with a spirit of compassion & serving. I love to work on community service projects that help others who just need a hand up in a world where they are otherwise overlooked. I am very involved with my church & a local community service foundation and their mission work in our local area.

A new quote given to me by a friend....
"A truly dedicated woman of faith is never limited to what has been, because she worships the God of unlimited love and possibility. ~~ Fran Fernandez

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I am a HUGE Virginia Tech Hokie Fan! What is a Hokie you ask...well there is a really long story to go with the name but I'll shorten it here. A man entered a contest to write a cheer for VA Tech and used the word hoki - which meant rah-rah-rah basically. Somewhere along the way an "E" was added and a maroon & orange "Fighting Turkey" was created as the VA Tech Hokie. Here is a picture:

My love of the Hokies does not bode too well with most of my neighbors as we are only 15 minutes from the University of VA - arch rivals of the Hokies! It makes for a lot of fun during the all the sports seasons!

I am a total purse addict - my kids tease me about all my assorted purses and how often I change them out. Just a fun way to show some personality while carrying my wallet and keys (and the half dozen other things that tend to find there way in there ).

I truly enjoy reading and always seem to have 1 or 2 books going at a time. I love to spend time at my children's sporting events and this year have spent enormous amounts of time at soccer games for my 15 yo daughter on the HS and travel teams and for my 13 yo son with his boys travel team.

One small goal of mine this year is to learn how to knit and improve on my crochet techniques (yep it is still a goal but I'm not getting anywhere! I figure if I leave it here that maybe I'll actually do something about it!)



I really enjoy a good cup of coffee and as my DH likes to tell me I'm becoming a "coffee snob" as I am pretty particular now about the coffee beans I purchase.



I've always enjoyed cooking and finding ways to make meals that are easy on a budget and use ingredients that are usually on hand in my pantry. I am terribly allergic to seafood and fresh water fish so I have to avoid those of course since I enjoy breathing much more than the taste of seafood.

After only one month I became a 'Zaar addict! I can't control myself!! I love participating in tag games and also have found a love of photographing the recipes I've made. I am also quickly becoming a regular in the 'zaar swaps too!

The Recipe Swaps & Tag Games:

***From the Cooking Games with Friends Forum ****










***Cooking Events & Special Tag Games***















***Some from the Photo Forum***





***Swap Events - these are so much fun and I have made so many wonderful new friends!***


Partner Suzanne Marie


Partner was QueenBee49444


Partner was Shirl (J) 831


Swap Partner that I shipped to... morgainegeiser
Swap Partner that shipped to me... Borealis Beegirl


Partner was knitaholic


Partner was 4-H Mom


Partner was QueenBee49444


Partner was Ma Field


Partner was mydesigirl


Partner was Sharon the Rocket


Partner was Kelly


Partner was Jacqueline in KY


Partner was Bayhill


Partners were Alskann and BLUE ROSE


Partner was mailbelle

Favorite Foods:

My favorite cookbooks are Taste of Home Annual Recipes (1998 is one of the best) and all my local church & foundation recipe collection cookbooks - such neat ideas from people in my area.

I love to make a variety of things and especially love those good 30 minutes or less meals. I am practical so recipes with a lot of ingredients that I cannot find usually in my pantry are not things I usually am attracted to making. I love the Simple and Delicious Magazine for its variety of ideas of simple meal plans and hope they start including more crock pot ideas.

I am a lover of anything chocolate - so desserts are a specialty of mine. I also love making old fashioned candies and fudge and making cookies for my family and friends.

Favorite places to eat and hang out....I love going to Panera bread and trying out their fresh salads and soups. Now if I could only talk my Java Express coffee drive through to add on and create a seating area I'd be in a bit of heaven here on earth.

http://www.armyofwomen.org