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I know I am coming in a little late on this one, but if you have any Coke product bottle caps laying around that you need to enter on mycokerewards.com, do it tonight. Any codes entered January 4 will earn double points. I just entered one and it was indeed doubled.

On December 27, I wrote about David Belniak. He is a man with a long criminal record who ran a red light on Christmas day and killed two people in a car that he hit. Barbara, the daughter of the man driving the car that was hit, commented on my blog and said something that lead me to believe three people had actually been killed. Upon further investigation, I see that indeed a third person was taken off of life support this week, bring the death toll in the tragic crime to three.

Belniak has a terrible driving record, a prison record, and has actually killed yet another person while behind the wheel of a vehicle, though he was not charged in that 1994 pedestrian death. What a shame. If shyster lawyers and lazy, corrupt judges had not conspired to keep this man on the roads, Barbara would still have her step-mother, step-sister and her step-sister’s husband in her life. Instead, she must deal with her devastated father and the truth that a murderer is still walking free as I write this.

The Florida Highway Patrol Spokesman Larry Coggins says criminal charges are “imminent.”

Let’s hope so. I loathe the idea that David Belniak might be driving on the same roads that I travel. He is a danger to humanity.

My daughter’s godparents live in Atlanta. We enjoy going up there to see them, because although Georgia and Florida are right next to one another, Georgia is indeed the South. The Tampa area is somehow removed from the South and although we have great weather and fantastic beaches, we just don’t have that fabled Southern charm or hospitality. When we lived in Gainesville, though, people often called our area South-Georgia, because somehow North Florida does embody some of the charms of Georgia, though only in shadow form. That hometown feel is a lot of what I miss about Gainesville and wish the rest of Florida would learn to embody as well.

When I think of trips we’ve made to Florida, I think of the huge family reunion we went to for my step-mother’s family. It was on a vineyard in South Georgia and we had a pig roast, made a huge, black cauldron of Brunswick stew, and covered our pulled pork with Hot Moppin’ Sauce. Yum. I think of going to see the godparents and sampling some of the unique Southern urban charm of Atlanta proper. Of course, I think of the peaches and the sweet Vidalia onions we can buy in our farmers markets down here.

Once Gigi is old enough to enjoy traveling for the sake of traveling (rather than traveling to see specific people), we will take the godparents and explore Savannah, the Babyland General Hospital where the real Cabbage Patch dolls are “born”, and Underground Atlanta – which is easy enough since we’ll be staying in the area anyway.

I can’t complain about being lucky enough to live in a state as fun as Florida, but it rocks to be able to take off north and find mountains and cooler weather anytime we like. Click Here To Learn More About Georgia Vacation Destinations

The chilly weather here in the Tampa area is supposed to warm up fir this weekend. So, if you want to get out and enjoy the sun, think about attending the inaugural Downtown Art Fest this weekend at downtown St. Petersburg’s BayWalk complex. It goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

And, if you can make it to Tarpon Spring this Sunday, their Epiphany Celebration is not to be missed. The Greek village has the largest Epiphany celebration in the country. Try to make it around noon on Sunday for the procession and young men diving into the Spring Bayou for a white cross. The catcher of the cross is said to be blessed for the year to come. If you love Greek food or Greek music, Tarpon is the place to be – especially on this particular weekend.

These are both kid-friendly events.

I think I mentioned before that my ex employer has retained me on a freelance basis to help research and purchase a new phone system for his business. I was always pulled into communications decisions when I was working there, even though I was only the Art Director. I think it was because I understood technology more than most at our company. And, I have a nose for a good deal.

One of our biggest problems in the past was the sheer level of long distance phone charges accrued due to having multiple locations and salespeople working out of home offices. I have no idea why that was such a vexing issue back years ago, but today there are multiple, economic solutions.

Talkswitch, phone system, PBX is just one of the various systems that have gained popularity in the past year or so. TalkSwitch uses VoIP (Voice over IP) technology and works with IP or standard analog telephones. The most useful feature in the case of our particular business is that any phone can be added as a simple extension. Cell phones, home phones, and other office phone systems can become part of your main network. The phones can be located anywhere in the world. It really adds new meaning to the phrase, “it’s a small world.”

Ideally, our packaging company is an international venture and should not have to reply ion being located in Florida. Our salespeople are located all overt the world and are often on the road with their cell phones. Why should a customer have to call the main office and leave a message when they can simply dial an extension from our toll free number and be instantly connected to anyone in the company? The best part is that when I do act on a freelance basis to do design work for a client, they never have to know I’m not actually in the office.

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!

The Prize:

The winner will receive a brand new
Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!

About the mixer:

From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories - a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black.

I was browsing Lori’s blog, A Cowboy’s Wife, and saw that she and her gang played Spoons on New Year’s Eve. Holy Cow. It has been a good ten years since I planed Spoons and I did not realize until just now how much I loved that game. I also miss having enough people around the house to play games that take several people. There are just so many games my four-year-old princess and I can play on our own and Go Fish is getting old, my friends

When you are just starting out in business, it might seem like obtaining all of the software and equipment you need in order to become successful is an impossible task. The start up costs can be staggering.

My dentist’s office recently upgraded to an entirely digital system, including how they take and store x-rays. I commented that it must cut costs to store the x-rays digitally, both in terms of physical space needed and materials, not to mention manpower. I was told that although that might look like the case, the software was so expensive to obtain and keep updated so as to be nearly prohibitive.

One solution for business expenses like software, vehicles, and other necessary equipment is using a resource like Crest Capital, which specializes in software leasing. You get the tools you need to make your business succeed, without having to use a line of credit to get them. It’s a viable solution for small and medium sized business, especially those just starting out in the marketplace.

What a shame. Seems like Ben Moffitt is just a dime-a-dozen college athlete that only serves to prove what most people already think – that college athletes more often than not get through the academic part of their “education” by taking the easy road. Stories of athletes being given easier classes, easier grading, and the ability to opt out of tests have long circulated. And now Moffitt’s wife is telling the world that her husband never wrote his own papers while in college and that she also took at least two online courses for him.

First, you have to look at the full story here. As recently as this past September, major newspapers were carrying feature stories on Ben Moffit, touting the 23-year-old University of South Florida senior (What’s up with that, by the way? Aren’t most people 21 or 22 when they graduate?) linebacker as a glowing family man who drove 110-mile round trip every day so that his wife and children could live in their hometown in Sumter County, FL. He described his wife as “… an awesome woman.” He said that he would not be able to do what he did were it not for her.

A couple of months later, this “family man” walked out on his wife, five-year-old son, and three-year-old daughter. Family man indeed. Shauna has said Ben visited their children twice a week for a while after he left the family. She went on to say that only happened for a month and she now has no idea where he is living. He changed his cell phone number and would only call her from a block line, but has since at least given her a number she can call. He sounds like a real coward.

Moffitt had a scholarship that helped him pay the mortgage on a brand new house, a wife who worked fulltime to help support the family, and now it seems that he had a whole lot of help in passing his classes. His wife, Shauna, claims she wrote most of his papers. Her twin sister also claims to have written papers for Moffitt and she falsified reports that she had done his teaching observation hours in her classroom.

One story says: “But what really impresses those who know Moffitt, who has a 2.5 grade point average, is how he balances football, classes and family.”

My comment” It took at least two other individuals just to help Moffit keep a C-Average! How is that impressive?

Everyone was taking care of Moffitt, but now he wants to run off and be a single man – right at the dawn of his NFL career. On November 11, he left his family. Funny, that. I am willing to bet cash he did not move his family back to Sumter County for their benefit. He moved them out of the way so he could cat around.

Local discussion forums are full of negative comments about Shawna Moffit, calling her an angry, bitter woman who is just out for her husband’s money. One commentator gloated, “He has moved on and she is not invited.”

Do you want to know what I see? I see a woman who gave a man two children, worked fulltime and supported her spouse to the point of helping him cheat in college, only to be cast aside at the very moment her husband is ready to enter the world of professional sports. I see a woman who feels used and taken advantage of. I see a woman who wants the world to know that Ben Moffitt is not the family-man hero he has been portrayed as in the media.

This is Florida, though. Ben Moffitt will be required to pay a hefty child support despite whether or not he obtains his massive contract before or after a divorce. Unfortunately, Shawna may have to fight hard for alimony. Even after giving her husband two children and years of her life, Florida sees any marriage that is less than seven years as a “short term marriage” and alimony is not usually considered. She reports that he has stopped using his scholarship money to pay the mortgage. They could very well lose their home, but I’m guessing he could care less.

The next question is, logically, in just how many ways is Ben Moffitt a cheat? I’m just sayin’.

Yikes, it’s cold. In fact, it got so cold in south Florida and down in the Keys, that iguana living on Key Biscayne were dropping out of the trees. These reptiles, most of which were pets released into the wild, are cold blooded and go into such a deep sleep when the temperatures fall below the 40s that they cannot hold onto the branches were they have been sitting.

No worries, though, as the sun warms the air, they revive.

In light of how cold it has been here in Florida the last couple of days, I started thinking about the hearty comfort foods you equate with chilly weather. I wanted to make a stew, but was not in the mood for meat, so Gigi and I concocted a lovely vegetable stew.

I don’t have an exact recipe, but here is essentially what I tossed in the big Dutch over. I chopped into big chunks three medium white onions and sautéed them a bit in olive oil. I would have put in some fresh garlic as well, but it had gone bad. Then I added two potatoes, cut into small bite-sized chunks. I let those cook down a bit and then added one large peeled and diced eggplant, three medium zucchini that I did not peel and just sliced into rounds, a large can of diced tomatoes, a chopped sweet red pepper, and a cup or so of chicken broth. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, though with a stew like this you could season it just about any way you like: bay leaf or oregano or basil or maybe even some super hot pepper. My daughter is all of the sudden into more mild flavors, so I stuck to just sea salt and pepper.

While I let it stew, I went to the other room and killed some time straightening out all of the cables in the back of my computer. How in the world do those things get so tangled!

After this cooked down, we ate it with some fresh French bread dipped in olive oil and spices. Yum! It was such a perfect comfort food for the chilly chill outside, ands we have plenty of leftovers.

Oh, this cold snap is a bear. I’m not used to cold weather anymore, now that I have been living in Florida almost ten years. It’s funny how you so quickly attune to the climate of a new home. Yes, the absolute height of summer is difficult for me as well, but I would take it any old day over months and months of bone chilling cold. A few days here and there are enough for me.

Sometimes my fingers get achy when it is cold. And, my right foot. I am sure it is the beginning of arthritis. When I was sick with the flu three years ago, the doctors tested me for fibromyalgia, due to the severity of my muscle and joint pain for almost ten days. I was barely able to change sitting positions or lift my arms level with my shoulders. Thankfully, it just turned out to be a severe case of the flu and I do not have to deal with that sort of pain on an ongoing basis I have no idea how I would manage that sort of pain. Kudos to those who do!

I suppose this is just a general rant about the cold in Florida. I’ve got on a sweatshirt and cozy socks. The beds are piled with heavy blankets. The fragile plants are in the garage or covered with sheets. We even have the heat on. But, when it comes down to it our days are still about 45 degrees and anyone who lives up north is probably laughing at me. ? I guess I am a Florida girl at heart for real now.