Ham and Potato Soup

One of my husband’s favorite things to eat is ham.  He devours the stuff.  I cook a 10 lb. ham for Easter every year.  I’m sure a lot of you do the same thing.  You probably cook a huge Easter dinner for your friends and family.  The difference between me and you is that I don’t cook a 10 lb ham, mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green beans and sweet rolls for a large group of people.  I don’t need to cook for a large group, because I married Matt.  I make all that food for one hungry hubby.  Just for the record, I only had a small portion of Easter dinner on Sunday, so Matt has pretty much consumed the entire ham as of tonight.  You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but my husband EATS ~ and he eats A LOT!  He doesn’t gain weight considering his enormous appetite, whereas I probably gained five pounds just looking at the ham this week.  Oh, to have my husband’s metabolism, but that is neither here nor there.

If it were up to me, I would take the leftover ham and make several different recipes out of the ham, but not Matt.  He’s had Easter dinner every day this week, and he hasn’t gotten sick of eating it yet.  When I checked the fridge tonight, there was just a little bit of ham left, so I managed to use the leftover ham to make some ham and potato soup before Matt got home from work.  I don’t really have an exact recipe for it, because I don’t measure anything.  I just throw stuff in a pot until it looks and taste the way I want it too, but here are my guestimate measurements for this recipe.

3 potatoes

3 cups of cooked diced ham

½ c. chopped onion

2 c. chicken broth divided

2 c. milk

2 tbs. flour

4 tbs. butter

2-3 oz. fontina cheese

2 tbs. of celery powder

salt and pepper to taste

Bake the potatoes (or cook them in the microwave like meJ ).  In a large pot bring one cup of chicken broth and onions to a boil, then let simmer until onions are cooked.  Add flour and butter to thicken.  Take the skin off of the baked potatoes, and add them to the pot.  Pour in the milk and the rest of the chicken broth slowly while smashing the potatoes.  Add the cheese and stir until melted.  Add celery powder and cook on medium heat until the soup thickens, and then add salt and pepper to taste.  Toast sliced bread with fontina cheese slices for dipping in the soup (optional). Eat and Enjoy!

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Creating A Coffee Filter Lamp.....From A Goodwill Good Deal ~ $6 Lamp

I really wish that I could take the credit for coming up with this idea, but my creativity never led me to the idea of using coffee filters for a lamp shade!  I actually came across the idea somewhere in the blogosphere a few weeks ago.  When I saw the idea, I LOVED it!  I knew I had to try to create it.  Yesterday, I Googled "coffee filter lamp shade", and I came across a few tutorials. 

Once I looked over a tutorial, I went to Goodwill in search of an inexpensive lamp.  This lamp and lamp shade is my latest Goodwill good deal. The lamp was $3.99, and the shade was $1.99. 

If you plan on creating a coffee filter lamp shade, you're going to need a bag of coffee filters and a hot glue gun.  Begin by taking a filter and folding it in half.

Fold the half into thirds.



Fold it in half again.



Make one last fold bringing the middle point to the top of the filter.

You will end up with a coffee filter "flower".

Hot glue your "flowers" to your lamp shade until it looks the way you want it to.



After folding and gluing 200 coffee filters, the finished product will look something like this.



I really loved the pink lamp from Goodwill, and I really loved it with the new lamp shade.  Once I finished the project, I thought the lamp would go great in a shabby chic room or a girl's nursery.....but unfortunately the pretty pink lamp didn't match my decor. 

I needed a silver lamp for the table in my entry, so the pretty pink lamp was covered in silver spray paint.



Once the paint was dry, I plugged in my latest creation and watched it glow!  This project was really easy.  It did, however, take me awhile to complete, since I had to fold and glue 200 coffee filters.  It was worth the time though, because I love the look of this lamp!

This is the finished project!  Would you believe this lamp only cost me $6, since I already had hot glue and coffee filters?  Now that's a fantastic Goodwill good deal!

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It's A Goodwill Good Deal ~ $1.50 Center Piece

  

While at Goodwill, I came across this serving dish for $1.50.  It was marked for $2.99, but it was half off.  I originally went to Goodwill looking for a large bowl to put fruit in and a goblet to use as the base of the bowl creating a serving dish that in my mind would look something like this picture.  I planned on gluing the bowl and goblet together and painting the entire piece.  When I came across this serving dish I discovered that it was more cost effective to purchase this one than it was to make my own.  It was also one less project I needed to complete to make my house a home.  Now that's a double deal that I can be happy about!

I think the new center piece goes great with my Ikea dishes.  I bought a set of tan and a set of grey dishes while I was at Ikea for only $19.99 a set (thirty pieces in each set).  I mixed and matched the sets to get the look I wanted, and I found the place mats at Ikea for $2.50 a piece.  They add texture to my table setting, and I really like the look it creates.

And of course the dishes were inspired from a display table that I fell in love with at Ikea.  It looked something like this ~ only the Ikea table was $299.99 and $29.99 for each chair.  I found this huge dining room table with eight chairs on Craigslist for only $75!  I haven't refinished the chairs yet, but I worked on the table this weekend and finished it late last night.  I am really happy with the result!  I can't wait to finish the chairs and show you the before and after when I'm finished!  There will be a post about it coming soon.



Remember my last Goodwill Good Deal.....$2 Candelabras.....



....check them out now.  Not too bad for only $2, huh?  There's nothing that  little bit of spray paint can't fix.  So if your keeping track.....that's $2 for the candelabras, $1.50 for the center piece and the table runner is just one yard of burlap that cost about $2.50 at JoAnne Fabrics after purchasing it with a coupon.

We've also been doing a lot of internet bargain shopping for large pieces of furniture lately.  The entry and dining room are almost complete.  Here's a sneek peak.  We are planning on painting the dining room this weekend, and if everything goes according to plan, I should be able to post a before and after of our first completed room in the new home sometime next week!  I can't wait!

This is my view from the love seat as I'm writing this post.  It's finally starting to come together!  Paint and wall decor will make it even better!

And yes, that is Chloe on the window seal waiting for the appropriate time to jump down without Molly chasing her.  And yes, that is Molly patiently waiting for Chloe to jump down, so she can chase Chloe and put her in her mouth.  That's a pretty typical evening in my house:)





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Good Words For Good Friday

I don't have much to say today, but I think this song and portion of Scripture says it best.  

LAMB OF GLORY

Greg Nelson and Phil McHugh

Verse 1:

Hear the story from God's WordThat kings and priests and prophets heard
There would be a sacrifice
And blood would flow to pay sin's price

Verse 11:
On the cross God loved the world
While all the powers of hell were hurled
No one there could understand
The one they say was Christ the Lamb

Chorus:
Precious Lamb of Glory
Love's most wondrous story
Heart of God's redemption of man
Worship the Lamb of Glory

 

 

 

 

Luke 23:33-46 (King James Version)

 ³³And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
 ³⁴Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
 ³⁵And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.
 ³⁶And the soldiers also mocked him, coming to him, and offering him vinegar,
 ³⁷And saying, If thou be the king of the Jews, save thyself.
 ³⁸And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
 ³⁹And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.
 ⁴⁰But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?
 ⁴¹And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.
 ⁴²And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
 ⁴³And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
 ⁴⁴And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
 ⁴⁵And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
 ⁴⁶And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.



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Achy Legs and A Balanced Life

I’m a girl who really likes a daily schedule.  I live by a to-do list, and I love the feeling of knowing that I have accomplished all of the things on my daily to-do list.  One of the reasons I like a schedule is because it helps me keep a balanced life.  I think balance is really important.  It’s important for me to make an attempt to try to keep my life well balanced physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally.  Lately, I have been failing at the physical part of my ideal balanced life.  I'm sure that's because I willingly cut out that part of my life if I am having a busy day.  I'll just let you all know now that I hate working out.  I really, really do!  I have never been athletic, but as I have aged I have realized the health benefits to daily excercise even though I despise it!  Ideally, my Monday through Thursday schedule involves an early morning workout at the gym where I do a quick twenty minute circuit on the weight machines, and then I walk two miles on the treadmill before getting ready for work.  It’s not a hard core workout, because I’m not a hard core work out kind of girl.  It’s just enough of a workout to wake me up and get my heart rate going.  By 7:00 I’m at work, then I get the girls ready for school, drop them off at school and drive to the park where I take a two mile walk.  By 10:00 I’ve been up for five hours, and my day is just beginning.  Like I said, that is my ideal morning schedule, but the past few months that schedule has not been realistic.  Unfortunately, the past few months I've been hit and miss at the gym, and sicknesses, bad weather, and busy schedules have made my morning walk nearly impossible.  I’m pretty sure that since we got back from our cruise in early January, I have been to the gym an average of once a week if that. Winter really gives me absolutely no motivation to wake up and work out.  Today was the first day in a long time that I was back to some kind of normalcy in my ideal daily schedule, and let’s just say that as I am writing this post the achy muscles in my legs are making me very aware that it has been too long.  That's pretty sad since my daily routine isn't really difficult.   I really hope that I wake up this week with an overwhelming feeling of motivation to get back to my old routine even if my legs aren’t feeling the motivation!

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Too Busy To Blog

What a busy, busy week I’ve had!  It’s been a little bit crazy for me this week, and I’ve just been too busy to blog!  It seems like every spare minute I had was spent at the library.  I was trying to finish up some last minute details on my classes before my semester ended.  I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been working on my masters since January of 2010.  This semester flew by, and it didn’t help that I was soooo very distracted with moving into a new home.  I honestly can not study or focus at home; I have to go to the library or a place like Starbucks to study.  I’ve tried, oh I’ve tried to study at home, but I am constantly distracted with the numerous projects that need to be completed in the house.  My goal is to graduate next May.  That’s a very manageable goal, but I definitely need to focus more on my school work in the next few months.

In the midst of trying to finish this semester’s school work, my church was having its annual mission’s conference.  The conference was Wednesday through Friday.  I really enjoyed the mission’s conference, but it did make for a busier week than normal.  As soon as Matt and I got off work we went straight to the conference, and we didn’t get home and settled in for the evening until after 9:00 each night.  That meant I had some late nights with my text books.  The late nights were followed with mornings when I couldn’t help but hit the snooze button more times than I should have.  Oh well, it’s my own fault for procrastinating on my school work.  Some things never change ~ no matter how old I get:)

Even though it was a busy week, it was a beautiful week!  The leaves started budding on the trees!  Oh how I love the signs of spring!  The beautiful spring weather didn’t stay around for the weekend.  It’s too cold and rainy to enjoy the outdoors today, but there’s always next week.  I’m hoping for another warm up, so I can enjoy the outdoors instead of looking at its beauty from the inside of a library window.  Regardless of the ever changing weather, this week should be less stressful, because I will be less busy ~ and that makes me a very happy blogger. J

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Indiana Weather, My Mother-In-Law and Italian Food

J

Don’t you love Indiana weather?  Remember my March 30, post.…the one about the snow….well, today is April 10, and it’s a muggy 84 degrees outside.  Honestly, you never know what the weather is going to do around here.  I took the girls to the park on Thursday, and I was chilly in my long sleeve shirt, sweat shirt and light jacket.   By Friday, I was sweating in my tank top and light cardigan.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we get some storms this week that bring in colder weather and who knows….maybe even snow….you really never know what’s gonna happen around here when it comes to the weather!

Anyway, moving on to other news. My mother-in-law came to visit this weekend.  She spends half of the year in Florida and half of the year in Indiana, so it was good to spend some time with her.  We haven’t seen her since we took her and my mom on a cruise this past January, so this was her first time seeing the new house.  She drove up from her home in Indiana last night and had to catch a flight back to Florida this morning, but we’ll take any time with her we can get.

So that brings me to my next little bit of blogging news…..DINNER!  I didn’t know what to make my mother-in-law for dinner, but I thought I couldn’t go wrong with an Italian bistro meal.  I made her one of Matt’s favorite meals, and it’s really easy to throw together.  This is also a meal that my mom often requests when she comes to visit, so I thought I’d try it on my mother-in-law.  I made a spinach and sun dried tomato pizza, caprese salad and hot spinach and artichoke dip with toasted baguette.

Who doesn’t love making an easy pizza ~ especially one with spinach and sun dried tomatoes?  Ok…so maybe it’s not for everyone….but you can use whatever ingredients you like.  Matt and I really like the fresh taste of the ingredients I use.  First, put a pre-made pizza crust on my pizza stone (if you feel the urge, you can make your own crust….I never seem to feel that urge), and drizzle the crust with olive oil.  Then, top the pizza with lots of fresh spinach, plenty of shredded mozzarella cheese, a little bit of fresh basil, and some baby bella mushrooms.  Put the pizza in a preheated oven at 400 degrees, and let it bake until the toppings have melted and the crust turns golden brown.  Once you see that the toppings are starting to melt (about five to seven minutes before the pizza is finished), pull the pizza out of the oven and add marinated sun dried tomatoes.  If you leave the tomatoes in the oven too long they burn, and you definitely don’t want that to happen.  When it’s done, enjoy the fresh taste of an easy pizza that you made in your own kitchen.

My husband LOVES caprese salad.  He has a thing for fresh basil….he loves the stuff!  If you don’t already know what caprese salad is, it’s basically tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella.  Just Google it, and I’m sure tons of recipes will pop up.   I don’t really have an exact recipe for you.  I just mix the basic ingredients together until it looks and taste the way I want it to.  I start by using one box of grape tomatoes. I cut them in half and put them in a bowl. I drain and slice some fresh mozzarella and add it to the tomatoes.  Then, I add lots of chopped fresh basil leaves.  I add about two table spoons of balsamic vinaigrette (you don’t want to add too much so pour slowly).  Lastly, I drizzle in some olive oil.  I mix it all up, and I put it in the fridge to chill before serving. 

There are tons of recipes for hot spinach and artichoke dip out there, but here is how I make mine.  Thaw out a box of frozen spinach, and mix it with an 8oz pack of cream cheese, ¼ cup of mayonnaise,  1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, one cup of shredded mozzerella, one tbs. of dried basil and one small jar of marinated artichoke hearts.  Bake it at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Then, slice up a baguette and spread olive oil on the bread slices before putting it in the oven.  After the bread is toasted, take a clove of garlic and scrape it across the toasted bread slices. The creamy dip and the crunchy bread make for a great appetizer to any Italian dinner, or in my case, a casual side dish for an easy pizza and caprese salad. J

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Adding Flair To A Boring Lamp Shade

I love the lamps at Hobby Lobby, but I really love this lamp at Hobby Lobby.

          What I don’t love is the price; there’s no way I’m paying $89.99 for this lamp.  Even with a coupon, I just can’t justify spending that much on a lamp.  Since I knew I wasn’t going to purchase the lamp, I used it as my inspiration for adding a little flair to some existing lamps I had in our bedroom.   I purchased inexpensive flower pins/hair clips to dress up two lamps in our master bedroom.   My finished product doesn’t look nearly as whimsical as the Hobby Lobby lamp, but it was a fraction of the price.  

 There's no need for a tutorial for this project.  All I did was take my trusty hot glue gun, and I glued the flowers to the shade.  Super simple, but it gave me the look I was going for.  The atmosphere that I am trying to create in our master bedroom is vintage/whimsical/romantic, and I think the flowers on the shade help create that feeling.  It didn’t cost very much to dress up my already inexpensive $9.99 Wal-Mart lamps, and I’m pretty happy with the outcome. 
           If the flowers are a bit too much flair for you, there are all sorts of ways to dress up a lamp shade.  Trims, tassels, ribbons, and fabrics are just a few easy ways to change the look of lamp.  Have you added any flair to a boring shade lately?  If you have, please show me some pics of your creativeness and share your flair! :)

BEFORE

AFTER

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South Side Shopping Day

Last Saturday, my mom and I went on a little shopping trip.  I have been wanting to blog about it for awhile now, but I was sick last week and didn’t get around to it. Tonight I finally got around to it. J

I used to live on the South side of Indy before moving to the North side three years ago.  The best part about having an apartment on the South side was the shopping.  Without having to drive very far down HW31, I could go to a dozen of my favorite stores and find good deals on home decor.  Now don’t be offended Northsiders; I have grown accustom to the North side, but everything is a little more spread out up here.  For that reason, my Mom and I planned a South side shopping day.  We met at McAllister’s for lunch and spent about seven hours shopping as we made our way down 31 searching for great buys for the new house. If you like everything in one place and are looking for great buys on home decor, then you should definitely head to the South side. 

McALLISTER'S

First Stop was McAllister's for some good food and conversation.

FLOWER FACTORY

Just behind the McAlister’s is Flower Factory.  Don’t be fooled by its name.  It has a lot more to offer than floral arrangements.  I purchased the following:  “Live Laugh Love” rug - $7.95 ; “Home” sign - $6.95 ; “Faith” sign - $7.95; glass container - $3.96.

 

BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY

Burlington Coat Factory ~ where there are more than just coats.  The napkins I purchased for $3.99, but I am not going to use them as napkins. There will be a post about that project in the near future;)   I also picked up this set of white towels for the guest bathroom (2 bath towels, 2 hand towels, and 2 wash cloths for $9.99). I have a plan for them….another project for another post;)



HOBBY LOBBY

Next stop Hobby Lobby.  One word ~ LOVE!  Even if I’m not going to buy anything, I love to walk around and “window shop” at Hobby Lobby.  It inspires my creative side and puts me in a great mood.   I NEVER pay full price at Hobby Lobby.  It should be a sin for a frugal girl to do so, because whatever I want is bound to be on sale within four to six weeks.   Just watch the ad and have patience.  This week I specifically went for these items for my dresser. I have been eyeing them for weeks, and they were finally half off!!!  I purchased the following: mirror - $11; oval mirror - $7; jewelry holder - $5; candle -$6; basket - $2.



MICHAEL'S

Right next door to Hobby Lobby is Michael’s.  Just like Hobby Lobby you can always find printable coupons on line for items that are not on sale.  To be honest, I don’t have much luck at Michael’s, but this time I did find a small glass container to go in the bathroom for only $3.



TJ MAX

I don’t always find things at TJ Max, but it doesn’t hurt to look.  This time I found this cute arrangement of potted daisies that will go great in my front room sitting area…and I only paid $2.99 for it!



STEIN MART

Stein Mart can be pricy at times, but once in awhile you can come across something really great such as this pillow that I got on clearance for only $14.99.  It will go perfect in our bedroom, and I love it!

JO-ANN FABRIC

I love Jo-Ann Fabric.  I found these planters half off.  I plan to use them for some herbs I want to plant and display in my kitchen.  I paid $5 for each set, so that’s $10 total.  I also picked up some scrap booking paper for a decoupage project that I am going to work on.  Paper is usually $.69 a piece.  It was 5 for $1 this week, so I only paid $.60 for the paper.

CHRISTMAS TREE SHOPS

Next door to Jo-Ann Fabric is the Christmas Tree Shops.  They have way more than Christmas in the store.  I found this rug for only $5.99.

KIRKLAND'S

Next stop, Kirkland’s….or not?!?!  When did Greenwood get rid of Kirkland’s???  Love that store.  So sad…tear…sniff sniff….oh well, I’ll just go to the one on my side of town.



CHEESECAKE FACTORY

While at the mall searching for the Kirkland’s that no longer exists, we planned to stop at Cheesecake Factory for dessert and order a slice of my very favorite 30^th Anniversary cheesecake…..but it was getting late, and I really wanted to go to Old Time Pottery before it closed…..so we skipped dessert :( 

OLD TIME POTTERY

Due to time, our last stop of night was Old Time Pottery.  I love Old Time Pottery.  If you’ve never been, it's like a warehouse full of discounted items for your house.  You have to dig a little and take your time, but you usually walk away with a bargain.  I purchased the following:  rug - $2.99; two wire baskets (I have a specific plan in mind for them) - $3.99 each, so a total of $7.98 for both baskets. 

My car at the end of the night:)



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It's a Goodwill Good Deal ~ $2 Candelabras

While recently rummaging through a Goodwill store, I came across these two iron candelabras.  I only paid $1 a piece for them, so it was really good buy.  They need a little bit of TLC, but I can make them beautiful with little time and effort!  I thought they would go nice on my dining room table.  I like the blue color; it’s kind of rustic and shabby chic, but I think they are going to end up being silver when I’m finished with them.  The blue doesn’t really go with my décor.  Anyway, considering I only used the change out of my change purse when purchasing these, I’m pretty excited about this Goodwill good deal.  What kind of Goodwill purchases have you made recently?  Please share how you’ve turned someone else’s useless item into something useful for your home:)

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Sunday and Monday Dinner ~ Two Meals in One

Roast is a go-to Sunday meal in our house.  Whenever roast is on sale at Kroger I stock up, so we have roast at least once a month.  I usually cook it in a crock pot, so it cooks low and slow while we are church. There's nothing special about the way I make roast.  I just salt and pepper the meat, and sear it in a pan before setting it in the crock pot.  Next, I put in a sliced onion, several mushrooms, dried parsley, and two cans of cream of mushroom soup.  I add a little more salt and pepper, and then I pour in a box of beef broth.  I walk away, and six hours later when the meat is falling apart dinner is ready.  I didn't always put in the cream of mushroom soup; I would just make my own gravy out of the broth, but the cream of mushroom creates a really yummy and creamy gravy in the crock pot with the roast.  I usually serve mashed potatoes (the fattening kind with heavy cream, butter, cream cheese and herbs, because after all it's the weekend) and corn casserole.  I serve some Italian bread on the side, and that's a typical Sunday dinner in my house.  Now there's nothing special about that, because I'm sure millions of Americans have a similar Sunday dinner in their house every week.  What we do different in our house is use the leftovers for a similar but different Monday night meal.

On Monday night, I take some of the leftover roast and make warm paninis by sandwiching the meat between my leftover Italian bread with a slice of provolone cheese and some of the leftover mushrooms (I think I got this idea from a Food Network show, but I’m not sure).  I set my sandwich in a pan with hot olive oil.  Then, I put another heavy pan on top of the sandwich (that's my make-shift panini press).  While the sandwiches are getting nice and toasty, I take the thick leftover mashed potatoes and make potato cakes by frying them up in some olive oil.  Lastly, I warm up the gravy and use it for a dipping sauce for the sandwich.  That's it!  As much as we love our Sunday dinner, I think we love our Monday dinner even more.  The sandwich is cheesy and crispy, and the mashed potato cakes taste so yummy, because they’ve been crisped up in the olive oil.

My cell phone pictures don’t look the greatest, but trust me it’s yummy!  Two meals in one is the way to go!  It makes for two really easy, affordable and enjoyable meals.  Do you have any “two meals in one” ideas?  Please share them with me.  I’d love to hear about the things you create in your kitchen.

Meal #1

Meal #2



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