Easy Peach Cobbler, Scrapbooking Flexibility, Storing Cleaning Supplies, Upcoming Retreat

     Yesterday was my 44th birthday, and my 24th wedding anniversary.  Yes, I did get married on my 20th birthday!  We have had such a busy couple of weeks that I decided that instead of going out for my birthday, I would rather have takeout at home with my family, and spend the evening in my pajamas, in the recliner in front of the fireplace.  I may make this a birthday tradition; it was great!  We will celebrate our anniversary in a few days with dinner out and seeing Al Jarreau in concert.  God gave me the perfect partner when He brought Mark to me all those year ago!  I love you, honey!

      I was especially busy today with errands, housecleaning, laundry and packing for...my FOUR DAY SCRAPBOOK RETREAT!  Yahooooooo!  I am staying at Memory Lane Inn in Tyler, Texas (my hometown).  I have stayed at the Memory Lane Inn in McKinney, Texas several times and loved every minute; I'm looking forward to checking out their new location! http://www.memorylaneinn.com/  Though the retreat site holds 18, my little group is only four: my best friend from college, Karina; her former neighbor and good friend, Suzanne; and my pal, Leslie, whose two year old triplets keep her on the run!  The other fourteen spots are booked; I'm curious to see if I will know any of the ladies there or if I will make some new cropping buddies on this stay.
     One of the things that was not so great this week was that our computer crashed.  It will take a couple of weeks for all of our photos and other files to be restored, but past experience has taught me that I will get them all back (LOVE Carbonite file backup service).  Of course, some of the photos I wanted to scrapbook on this weekends retreat could not be developed in time, so I am having to be flexible in what I am working on--fortunately, I have plenty of other photos to work with!  So, that leads into my
Scrapbooking Tip:  Be Flexible  Scrapbooking is not about perfection; it's about archiving precious memories of loved ones!  It's a great way to be creative and have fun.  If I obsess over photos I don't have, mistakes I make, layouts that don't turn out exactly as I hoped they would, I lose the JOY of making scrapbooks.  Without JOY, why do it?

Recipe:  Easy Peach Cobbler  Preheat oven to 350.  Place one stick or butter or margarine in an 8 x 11 glass pan  or 9 x 9 square glass pan.  Place dish in oven until butter is melted.  In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 tsp. baking powder.  Stir to combine.  Add 1 cup milk and stir.  Spoon mixture over melted butter in baking dish.  Pour a 16 oz. can of sliced peaches in heavy syrup over flour mixture.  Do not stir.  Bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until peaches are bubbly and crust is lightly browned.  Serves 4. This cobbler has more of a cake-like texture than pie crust.  I like both kinds of peach cobbler equally well!  I learned how to make this kind from a friend's mom in high school. 

Homemaking Tip:  Cleaning supplies  I really don't like to have to carry a tote of supplies all over the house with me when I am cleaning, so I try to store some things at their point of use.  For example, I keep tub cleaner, toilet cleaner and brush, Clorox wipes and Windex in each bathroom (we have two).  Since we use paper towels on a pretty holder in each bathroom for drying our hands, I have everything I need to clean the bathroom nearby (except for the mop and floor cleaner).  Besides not having to carry the supplies around with me, I can also clean up messes as I see them, instead of putting it off because I don't have the supplies handy.

Signing off now, so I can finish packing for my retreat!  Love, Lisa