My First Baby Shower!

Today my kitchen was closed because someone else's kitchen was open! My friends Ruby, Teresa, Ann and Yumi were so kind to host my first baby shower. Even though it is a little early (since I'm about 22 weeks along), it worked out fine since our schedules in the coming months are going to be pretty hectic with our upcoming move and today was convenient for the hostesses.Ruby & Kelly with last minutes touches in the kitchen:I've been in a slight hibernation the past few months with some pregnancy challenges which kept me from being social and spending time with friends. However that all changed when I got to see many good friends who attended the s

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DSM-5 Sweeps Intellectual Disability Under the Autism Rug

The DSM-5 revisions to what will now be officially known as the Autism Spectrum Disorders are not without merit.  The American Psychiatric Association's   DSM-V Neurodevelopmental Disorders Work Group April 2009 Report   emphasizes for the first time that there are different degrees of severity on the autism "spectrum" of disorders.  That is a good thing, one that many parents of severely autistic children will appreciate as the public consumes movie after movie about brilliant, talented persons with High Functioning Autism and Aspergers. Having handed out that token of recognition of reality at the severe end of the aut

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Chicken with Mushroom & Balsamic Cream Sauce

I just need to stop acting on impulses sometimes. I'll take my weekly trip to the grocery store, stock up on staples I intend on using and then at the end of the week, some of those items are staring at me on the verge of going bad. The items in question? Mushrooms. I had a package of cremini and white button mushrooms that I didn't end up using this past week. Thankfully, Rachel Ray came through for me.Normally Rachel Ray isn't someone I initially think of for recipes. Even though I have a couple of her books, they were gifts from friends and family and I never did take the time to go through to see what recipes she had. Since I was sorting through c

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O Conor, Where Art Thou?

Conor loves the songs on the O Brother,  Where Art Thou? soundtrack.  He used to ask for it every time, and I mean every time, we got in the family car.  After a while we had to wean him off it so that we could listen to other music.  Conor does love all types of music and will listen to classical (especially Mozart), easy listening jazz, country, rock, blues, and ... bluegrass. But in the car for a long time he always wanted "Big Rock Candy Mountain" which is what he called the movie's soundtrack CD.  Tonight I was relaxing alone at home with Conor; his brother and mother were both out with  friends.  I checked

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Dr. Eric Fombonne and Dr. Nancy J. Minshew Both Said Autism Increases are Real

"   Nancy J. Minshew is finally ready to take off the gloves.After years of sitting back and hoping the science would speak for itself, the director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Excellence in Autism Research has decided it's time for her to take a personal stand.  Autism is not caused by vaccinations, she says, and those who continue to push that theory are endangering the lives of children and misdirecting the nation's scarce resources for autism research."   The weight of the evidence is so great that I don't think there is any room for dispute. I think the issue is done," said Dr. Minshew, who runs one of nine to

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Chubby Hubby Cookies

I'm not sure about others, but when I try out a recipe, I'll often have leftover ingredients that I don't have the heart to throw away. They get stashed in the depths of my cupboards, thrown in the frozen tundra of the freezer or just pushed into the corner of my fridge. So when I recently made my Cream Triple Berry Pretzel Squares, I was left with quite a bit of crushed up pretzels. What to do... what to do... So I thought about some ways to use it and foods that I liked which had pretzels involved.We all know about those 2 crazy Vermont guys, Ben & Jerry, right? Well they have this awesome ice cream flavor called Chubby Hubby:Chubby Hubby® - Fud

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LEMON SOUFFLÉ PUDDINGS & BEST BROWNIES

ARGH!!!! AM I REALLY FIF-FIF-FIF-COUGH-COUGH? (she hits the floor)“If it was only the other way! If it was I who were to be always young, and the picture that were to grow old! For this--for this--I would give everything! Yes, there is nothing in the whole world I would not give!"- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian GrayGenerations ago the women of our family made a pact with the devil. Birth dates move around, jump up, jump back, a little black magic and time fades and we retain our beauty, our youth for always. Our sons grow up, our men turn gray, yet we remain forever young.Or was it that summer day long, long ago, that day I drank from the fabled

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Τρομοκρατηθείτε ρε, τι σας ζητάνε;;

ΤΡΟΜΟΚΡΑΤΗΘΕΙΤΕ ΡΕ, ΤΙ ΣΑΣ ΖΗΤΑΝΕ;;;;;;Κυκλοφορεί σαν ανέκδοτo στα αγροτικά μπλόκα...΅----Γιατί δένουνε τα αμπέλια-----Γιατί συχνά μεθούν ,γλεντοκοπούν και παρεκτρέπονται΅ !!Με συνδυασμένα καθημερινά κρωξίματα οι παπαγάλοι των μίντια μας μεταφέρουν την ίδια καραμέλα είστε καταχρεωμένοι, καταναλώνετε πολλά, παράγετε λίγα, δεν πληρώνετε, είστε αφερέγγυοι, περιοριστείτε, πάρτε μέτρα....Ύφεση, πτώση ανάπτυξης, οι αγορές απαιτούν, το χρηματιστήριο πέφτει, η ψυχολογία αδυνατεί και αν τα δούμε από την ουσιαστική ανθρώπινη πλευρά.....Τα κεφάλαια έξω αφορολόγητα, οι εφοπλιστές και οι πολυεθνικές όπου βολεύονται, τα ακίνητα μνημεία απείραχτα, τα τρόφιμα σε εναρ

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