Good Press

Last year, my 7-year-old planned a surprise birthday party for me because she learned that I had never had one. She secretly plotted with her aunt who helped her shop for decorations and food. And she got her father to rent a social hall and invite my friends. She wanted to make me feel special on my birthday. This year, my little Girl Scout is working to make a lot more people in our community feel loved on their birthdays. She had the means to throw me a party with all the trimmings -- cake, ice cream, balloons, matching plates and cups, banners and streamers, veggie and fruit trays, games with prizes. She realizes that not every mom and dad can give their children the kinds of parties she has or the party she gave me. We have talked to her about how our local food pantry gives groceries to the needy. Her Girl Scout troop's service project is to donate a birthday-party-in-a-box to the local food pantry. We are going to include all the elements of a birthday party -- cake mix, fro...

I have some leftover boxes of Girl Scout Cookies. Now before you get too excited, I don't have any Samoas or Thin Mints. I DO have Trefoils, Do-Si-Dos, Tagalongs and Lemon Chalet Cremes if you prefer that kind. Now through Monday, June 13, if you follow my blog or make a new comment on a post, I will enter your name in a drawing to win a box of Girl Scout Cookies of your choice. The winner's name will be drawn by our resident Girl Scout. Please do not offer to buy my cookies -- the organization frowns on Internet selling. These cookies are extras that I purchased and this is for fun and to get more visits to my blog. Enter more than once as long as you have something worthwhile to say. There will be plenty of chances to participate, including new posts, throughout the weekend. Good luck! Here is a link to a Girl Scout Council's site that lists lots of recipes if you'd like to cook with your cookies instead of just eat them: Recipes using Girl Scout Cookies

I heard a few months ago that some food makers were putting less food in the same-size packages and charging the same price. Their goal is to off-set the rising cost of raw ingredients without raising prices. One of the sneakiest examples was peanut butter manufacturers increasing the "punt" (the dent in the bottom) of the jar so it holds less peanut butter but on the shelf it looks like the same jar you bought before. Sneaky, I say! Within the last couple of days, Consumer Reports and NBC Nightly News reported again on these downsized products and also noted that consumers would rather pay more for the same amount of food than the same price for less. During the same time, I heard that Girl Scouts have put fewer Thin Mints, Do-Si-Dos and Tagalongs in their boxes this year. Far be it from me to slam Girl Scouts seeing as how 80 or so of my lovely friends, relatives and associates have cooperated to buy more than 330 boxes from my daughter. I am just pointing out that no one i...