Happy Thanksgiving!

I found this story and just had to share! It puts humor where it belongs... between us and stress. Remember, stressed spelled backwards is desserts! -Diva Veronica

Note:
The author,most definitely NOT Martha Stewart (and for that, I am sure, she is thankful) for "Martha Stewart Doesn't Live Here" was written by B.A. Tyler. She has previously written many humorous articles for Family Circle Magazine. Thanks 'Mac' for the info! And thank your friend for a wonderful essay that's traveled the globe via the Internet!

Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised. Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:

Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries. After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done, rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make. Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard. The mud was their idea.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china, or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone will get a fork.

Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas. Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration hand-crafted from the finest construction paper. The artist assures me that it is a turkey.

We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m. upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a frozen turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method. We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement. When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table and sit where you like.

In the spirit of harmony, we will ask the children to sit at a separate table. In a separate room. Next door.

Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private ceremony. I stress "private"meaning: Do not, under any circumstances, enter the kitchen to laugh at me.

Do not send small, unsuspecting children to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed. It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat. I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that "passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your sister in the head with warm tasty bread.

Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce. If a young diner questions you regarding the origins or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance. Cheese Sauce stains.

Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small fingerprints. You will still have a choice; take it or leave it.

Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving. She probably won't come next year either. I am thankful.

-Author: BA Tyler

Enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving! May you all be safe, happy and healthy!

-Diva Veronica

Thanksgiving Trivia... Just For Fun!

Did you know that early explorers to the New World acquired a taste for turkey and took the birds back to Europe with them? By the 1500's turkeys were being raised domestically in Italy, France & England! When the Pilgrims arrived in America, they were already familiar with the practice or raising and eating turkey... yet it has been reported that they likely did not have turkey at the first Thanksgiving.

Did you know that President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, supposedly in response to a campaign by magazine editor Sara Joseph Hale?

Did you know that President Franklin Roosevelt moved Thanksgiving ahead one week as it is presently celebrated?

Did you know that Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey be named the national bird and was shocked at the decision to name the bald eagle our national bird? He stated that the turkey was "a true Native American".

Did you know that the National Turkey Federation (NTF) presents the President of the United States with 2 dressed turkeys and one live turkey each year at Thanksgiving and they have since 1947? The ceremony has become the unofficial kick off of the holiday season. The President pardons the live bird each year and it is delivered to Disneyland where it lives out the rest of it's natural life.

Did you know that nearly 88% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving day?

Did you know that when Neil Armstrong & Edwin Aldrin sat down to eat their first meal on the moon, their foil food packets contained roasted turkey and all the trimmings?

Did you know that only Tom turkeys gobble? Hen turkeys make a clicking sound.

Did you know that wild turkeys can run at speeds up to 20 miles per hour?

Well now you do!

It's time to start shopping for non-perishible items you will need for Thanksgiving! Some of these items include:

canned fruits & canned veggies

cranberry sauce

apple sauce

canned yams

canned evaporated milk

spices

basting bags

roaster pans

Don't wait for the last minute to buy a roaster pan... my friend paid $7 for one on Thanksgiving day a few years back because she had no choice!

~Diva Veronica

Hello Divas,

I hope your Halloween was divine. Let's all take today and detox from all the sugar or whatever treats you imbibed.

Can you believe it's November already? This year is going by in a flash. I'm feeling the need to get going full speed on our Holiday preparations now. NOW!

We'll have plenty of tips and tricks to help everyone spend less this year. We're all feeling the crunch.

Diva Patti

Well, it's just now Halloween... as of 4 minutes ago...Friday the Divas took a little time to celebrate with all the kids... we had a Devil, a Vampire, a Zombie, a Race Car Driver, a Jedi, a Disco Witch and a Realtor to name a few. We all had too much sugar and a whole lot of fun!

Later today will be another day and we will do it all over again because it will be Halloween for real! We're calling Friday "practice"!

The Divas and the Diva-kids love Halloween as much or more than any other holiday! It's a time to play pretend and be whatever you want to be for a day... it's all good fun! What other day of the year could I call myself a Disco Witch as an excuse to wear a pointy silver hat and go get my ruby red slippers back from Dorothy.

(The Ruby Red Slippers)

(and standard witchy socks)

Well, I hear Diva Patti is planning to be "Wonder Woman" on Halloween. Not much of stretch from her everyday life, if you ask me... she's a super hero every day! (Or at least a Super Diva!)

OH, if you wake up and read this on Halloween and just then thought "Oh my heck! I need a costume!" Try one of our fast and fab last minute ideas:

1.Wrap your head in aluminum foil and tell people you are just tired of getting commands from the mother ship! Or wrap your entire body and go as a baked potato!

2. Duct tape a pair of old gloves to your feet (like monkey feet) and tell people you're evolution is wearing off!

3. Wear regular clothes and no make up, carry a sign that says, "Stripper on Strike!"

4. Paint a small box black and tape it to your back; you're a refrigerator magnet!

And last but not least:

5. Wear an old teeshirt. Find a small block of Styrofoam, tape it under your shirt. Stick a fork through the shirt into the foam... You're done!

Happy Halloween Everyone! Have fun, be safe and enjoy yourselves! We'd love to hear from you and see your Halloween pictures, so give us a shout out on our blog, comment on our Facebook Fan Page or Tweet us on Twitter!

~Diva Veronica

Things We Love Include... YOU!

Hi Divas!!

Wow! How awesome to see the outpouring of love!! Makes me want to hug my laptop! So many people are becoming friends and fans on Facebook, following our blog, and our Tweets, and you've all got such wonderful things to say!! We appreciate the comments, compliments, kudos and atta-gals!!! If you love our site, blog, etc. tell your friends! We'd love for them to become our friend too! BTW, love back atcha!

So, spinning out of October and the Halloween Holiday Collection and straight into our November newsletter and Thanksgiving Holiday Collection... we've got so much in store for you... and we have been testing recipes and pricing them out and typing like the wind to make it all happen!! Want a sneak peek?? Well, maybe just this once...Here you go:

What can you make with baking mix besides biscuits or pancakes? What can you make with cake mix besides cake? Stumped? Then don't miss Things We Love in November and December newsletters! These pantry staples can pull you out of a bind when you need something fast and fabulous! AND, just because these ingredients are both convenient and cheap these recipes aren't spendy at all!! So Things we love can save the day AND save your dimes! Don't miss out!

OK, that's all I have time to say... we're working hard... but it's so much fun!! Join Us!

~Diva Veronica

Hello Divas!

Diva Patti here. First I'd like to say a great big thank you to everyone who has been in touch and tell you how much we appreciate your positive comments. Please help us spread the word about the site. We hope as many people take advantage of our friends and family offer as possible.

We're busy finishing the November Newsletter and the Thanksgiving Holiday Collection. It's going to be filled with great stuff to help us all get through the Holidays with more Thanks and Less Stress! And cheap, did I mention cheap?

Today I'm testing recipes with cranberries and finding cool hostess gifts for under $5.

Have a very Diva day!

Diva Patti

Welcome New Divas!

Welcome New Divas!

Thanks so much for checking out our blog and we'd like to invite you to check out the site if you haven't already done so! We hope you’ll visit us often and use all the tips we offer.

Lately our lives have been pretty much consumed with getting the site ready for launch. We’ve been testing recipes almost daily for months and our kids take their part as food critics very seriously now. Whenever we set plates in front of them they ask “Is this a Diva’s recipe?” It’s so funny to watch, they look so very serious. The look that makes Iron Chefs nervous.

We've already been asked, "Why is so much information on the website free?" Well, it's so you don't have to pay for it, duh!

The reason we have free stuff on the site is two fold... the first and more noble reason is because the people who need it the most can get the basics from us without paying. Those people, after all, may not be able to pay.

The second reason is because we want everyone to what know we do. It's a free sample, a preview to your membership! If you like what's free, wait til you see what's not!

Thanks again for visiting us! Stop back often so you don't miss anything!!

-The Divas