We've been spring cleaning the pantry by eating our way through items that we might have passed up for more sexy items. I admit it was not an intentional choice. It's because our Kroger is undergoing remodeling and I'm tired of the stuff moving around.

Well, that was true at first. Things moved and aisles were over-crowded. Now things seemed to have settled down but in truth the placement of items doesn't seem to make any sense. For instance, the canning jars [an item that might be needed by 2.4 people in my neighborhood maybe twice a year] has prime real estate opposite the nifty canned soup rack. I'm guessing this will not be the final resting place for these items and that makes me not want to get too invested in the store's intermediate setup.

And that's why we're eating our stockpile of pasta and canned fruit and frozen meats. It's actually been a good practice - not only for our budget, for stock rotation, but for space reclamation. No matter why it's definitely a Cool Idea!

I have a feeling that some of my friends might be a bit tired of hearing me talk about new ways to use the crockpot - this is why I'm releasing this into the blogosphere for y'all. The might be some of the best news since I learned [and made several times] to make chocolate pots de creme in the crockpot. However, I'm not feeding that to my kids. This isn't an 'everyday' treat either but it is one of dh's favorites and it's one that I'm absolutely horrible at making.

Here it is.... Rice Krispie Treats!!! Yes, you can make these in the crockpot. No more standing at the stove and constant stirring. Just pop it all in the crockpot, stir when you walk through the kitchen and when it's ready dump into your pan. It's amazing. It's wonderful. I ate most of this by myself while I was stirring but no one needs to know:)

And just in case you want to know more incredible things you can do with your crockpot you really should sign up for the emails. They aren't as frequent anymore but if I didn't get them I wouldn't have known this was in the archives. This is definitely a Cool Idea!

What does a toddler think is important to pack for a short vacation:

Joy's Backpack has...
A comic book
A blanket
A toy
A box of macaroni and cheese

Comfort's has...
Books
Books
Books
Scribble Doodle Book
Entire Jar of Vitamins
Pirate Hat

'nuff said

Kinda sounds like the alarm clock going off in Groundhog Day. Okay, maybe not, but now that I'm done with Turbo Tax [thank you very much!] I've rejoined the land of those who can pay attention to the rest of the world.

And it turns out that there are people out there with some very clever tax accountants. If I ever doubted that I shoulda been an accountant here's the kicker - GE got a $3.2 Billion refund last year on profits of $28B.

First of all, this kind of money is staggering. I don't have that many fingers and I've shut down my spreadsheets but I know that's a LOT of zeroes. I know that GE is gonna say - but we pay our share and we're good corporate citizens. Um, yeah. I'm a good citizen, too, but there isn't $3.2B in my checking account. Might be because I only voted once in the last election. That part always messes me up.

So, here's to the end of another tax season. To my friends who are in the profession - god love ya. Hugs! To those of you who get a refund - congratulations. To those of you who owe - I'm sorry. Hugs to you but maybe GE will be willing to share.