THE CHOCOLATE FIX!

www.kingarthurflour.com



I am retired but my son still works. 
He loves to cook and sometimes 
he'll  treat me to one of his meals. 
I usually get to enjoy one of his
meals once a week.  

He loves creating new recipes. 
He knows that I am a chocolate
lover. I don't mind being his taste
taster; especially, with chocolate. 
My local grocery store had dark 
chocolate brownie mix on a closeout
sale for 65 cents. I bought all that was 
left on the shelf. This was a once
in a lifetime bargain! He asked could
he experiment with one of the 
boxes of brownies. Of course,  this chocolate consumer said,  "Sure!"



Here is his chocolate creation:

BROWNIE SMORES BARS



CRUST:


3 packs graham crackers, crushed
1 stick butter, melted



In large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs with butter. 
Press evenly in 9x12 baking dish. Set aside.


BROWNIES


Prepare family size dark brownie mix according to directions on the box.
Spoon brownie batter over graham crust. Carefully spread it evenly with a spatula.


TOPPING


Sprinkle small marshmallows over entire surface of the brownies.


Bake  350 degrees for 20 minutes or
until edges pull away from sides. 
Can also put toothpick  in center of brownies to see if it comes out clean.
Marshmallow topping should be light brown.

Cool completely before cutting into bars with sharp knife. He sprayed knife with non-stick cooking spray.



TIPS:

* CAN INCREASE MELTED BUTTER TO
1 1/2 STICKS IF WANT FIRMER CRUST.

*CRUST CAN BE PREBAKED 8 MINUTES. 

*SUGAR NOT ADDED TO CRUST  SINCE THIS IS A RICH DESSERT.

*CAN BAKE BROWNIES 'TIL DONE, 
THEN BROWN MARSHMALLOWS  UNDER BROILER.

*MILK CHOCOLATE BROWNIE MIX CAN BE USED ALSO.

SENIOR LADY MENTAL NOTES!

www.everydayhealth.com



I'll admit that I had to stop being in denial.  My memory was not what it used to be.  Since I retired, I was no longer stressing out over bank accounts and meeting loss mitigation loans deadlines. I was glad I was out of this stressful environment. 
The problem now is, staying mentally stimulated to ward off severe short-term 
memory loss.  

Some age-related memory loss is normal. 
I found this out when my friends and I had a discussion about silly mistakes
we have made since we retired. 

Now I know why my mother balks
at people moving her things around. 
I understand why looking at old TV
shows is no longer boring. Seeking
the familiar is comforting.

I had to establish a routine and make
rules for myself to avoid making tragic mistakes. I want to be independent
and live alone for several years. I want
my grown children to continue to respect me and let me handle my own business!!

Here are some of the methods I use to maintain my sanity and keep good financial records:


Place my monthly bill pay dates on my
cell phone and desktop computer calendars. I get an alert when bills are due. Most computers have a calendar. 
The calendar below can be downloaded 
if necessary.

https://incompetech.com



Make a BILL PAYMENTS RECEPT log
on computer Notepad or Wordpad. 
Each time I make an online payment 
I note it on this log.  I add name of company, date,  and confirmation number. This prevents me from 
forgetting to make payments & show 
who I have already paid.  This comes in handy if I need to dispute payment problem with a company. The log shown below can be downloaded if desired.

http://popisgrzegorz.com



Order bank checks with duplicate copy. 
It was too easy to forget to write outstanding checks down on the 
separate check register. I keep checkbook in secure location since bank account details on duplicate/ carbonless checks.
These type of checks are helpful when time to files taxes too. 
My bank doesn't keep bank statements online for 12 months. 

The Basics of Duplicate Checks

https://www.thebalance.com



Write down dates that you loan money
to your children, relatives, & friends on 
a calendar. I buy the school teacher style calendar from Dollar Store. Note loan amount and date paid loan in full. The calendar below can be downloaded if desired.

https://www.calendarlabs.com

SENIOR LADY NAIL TOOLS!

https://www.sallyhansen.com

I have always loved polished fingernails. 

One of my ways of winding down is 

doing my nails every Saturday night. 

I used to pay money to have my nails

done at hair salons. I got tired of loosing 

glued on nails and getting fill-ins.

My nails grew fast and getting weekly 

fill-ins were not an option. I finally 

wised up and started having the nail 

tech paint nails in primary colors. 

These colors of nail polish were easy 

to find at discount stores. I was able 

to buy the nail polish and do my own

fill-ins.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/fantasy-nail

I would get lots of compliments when

I did my own nails. Therefore, I started doing my own manicures and painting

my own nails. 

I have a large basket which holds about

20 bottles of pretty nail polish. I love 

to use nail glitter as my top coat.

I prefer to use acrylic nail polish. 

If my nails get too soft from dish 

washing or housecleaning I use

an "old school" nail hardener to

strengthen them.

https://www.pharmapacks.com

Nail polish artwork can be simple or 

elaborate. There are tools available

to help me achieve professional looking

nail designs. I use nail stickers and

polka dots to add flare to my nails.

I dab nail glitter over my nail designs

to make them last longer. 

http://hotnailpens.com

DOT DESIGN IDEA

https://www.youtube.com

I love wearing two or three nail polish

shades. This looks pretty and the color 

combinations are endless. I let my mood 

dictate what colors I choose. I feel I can 

paint my nails any "FUNKY" color 

I desire. Being a  senior lady should 

not be an issue!

https://www.youtube.com

SENIOR LADY GARDENER

https://www.homedepot.com

I'll admit that retirement is a 

lifestyle adjustment. These 

adjustments can be positive 

or negative. People who are

workaholics may find retirement 

boring if they don't find ways to

keep busy. My retirement has

been joyful because I am no longer 

experiencing the stress of my mortgage

banking job.  I smile each morning 

because I arise at 8 am instead of

5:30 a.m. I can do my chores at my 

own pace and not meet deadlines.

Vegetable gardening has been my

passion since I retired. There was 

a lot of trial and error in the beginning. 

I am a better gardener since I took free 

community gardening classes.

Classes were offered for spring and

fall gardening. These classes were taught 

by Master Gardeners. One thing they 

pointed out was that the weather can

affect the success of your garden. 

Great gardening skills, great fertilizer, 

and great soil doesn't guarantee a 

bountiful garden. An unpredicted frost, 

excessive heat, too much rain, and

drought can damage your vegetable 

garden. I have had some success with

container gardening.  There are lots of 

videos and website to assist new 

gardeners.  You can get help with 

troubleshooting garden problems

and planting tips. 



I plan to start my fall garden soon.

I'm just waiting for collard, lettuce,

and kale plants to arrive at the garden

center. I'm so impatient. I've started

turnip, kale, lettuce, and spinach

seeds in toilet paper rolls.

I am sharing planting tips/methods 

that has worked well for me below:

SEEDS

I have had good yields from American Seeds. 
They are economical and can be found at some
dollar and discount stores. Some seed packets 
labeled " great for containers." I get seeds for
exotic vegetables from Garden Centers which 
are little more expensive.

CONTAINERS

Sow lettuce and spinach seeds in dollar store

dish pans. Use hot glue gun to make holes in 

the bottom of the pan. 

Sow seeds in good quality potting soil 

(have mixture of white perlite,  plant food, 

or compost).

Cover pan with recycled plastic grocery bags

and secure the ends This greenhouse method 

helps the soil stay moist and seeds germinate 

quicker. Soil should never be soggy soil since

it will rot the seeds.

www.usplastic.com

MY MINI GREENHOUSE FOR SEEDLINGS

Growing Zucchini from seeds almost 

guarantees success.

Sow my seeds in egg carton & placed  it 

in shaded area.  Had sprouts within 1-2 weeks.

Transplanted 4-5 inch plants to 5-gallon dollar store

buckets. Full sun and adequate watering worked

magic.

Large vegetable seeds sprouted quickly in 

covered peat pots &  toilet paper rolls. 

A little soil, 2 seeds, & water was placed in

the peat pots & toilet paper rolls.

https://www.amazon.com

MY TOILET PAPER ROLLS & KALE  SEEDLINGS

Childs 4-5 ft swimming pool great for planting mint

& strawberries. 

Made several small holes in bottom of the pool. 

Added Chocolate, Spearmint, Peppermint,

Pineapple, & Citrus scented mint &

potting. It looks beautiful in my front yard. 

MY KIDDIE POOLS WITH MINT & STRAWBERRIES



Two years ago we purchased & used 
5 gallon cloth grow bags for our container
garden.  We still use a few of them. 
I used scissors to cut small holes
in the bottom. They worked well &
are very sturdy.

https://www.amazon.com





Inexpensive black or white 2-5 gallon buckets
from dollar or discount stores made great 
planters for my container garden. Used
glue gun to make small holes in bottom. 
Stopped using tip of knife because this 
was risky for clumsy me.

MY 5 GALLON BUCKET PLANTERS




Raised beds are great. My son made 
mine from free recycled wood. He 
designed them to look like hug window 
boxes. Treated wood lasts long time
& withstand the weather.

Here are some images of my container garden. Used plants that were easy to grow:

PiNEAPPLE SAGE

 ORGANIC GINGER

 ( USED ROOT FROM GROCERY STORE)

GREEN BEANS IN RAISED BED

JALAPENO, CAYENNE, 

& MARCONI PEPPERS