Fat Frog Diary

Posted on Facebook: (Please note you can't avoid probate, but you can make it much less of a pain.)   Spreading this information for those of you that don't have your affairs in order. Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own. - TOD = Transfer On Death deed if you own a home. Completing this document and filing it with your county saves your heirs THOUSANDS. This document allows you to transfer ownership of your home to your designee. All they need to do is take their ID and your death certificate to the county building and the deed is signed over. Doing this will avoid the home having to go through probate. - Living Will: Allows one to put in writing exactly what you want done in the event you cannot speak for yourself when it comes to healthcare decisions - Durable Power of Attorney: Allows one to designate a person to make legal decisions if one is no longer competent to...

A letter of intent should never replace a will, but it can help supplement or update a will. It can provide information such as "Beneficiary X has died, so Beneficiary B has now become the sole heir of all my jewelry" and "My beloved kitty Luna has passed on. There is no need for a provision for her care in the will." As long as you update your letter of intent annually, it can serve to save a lot of money rather than updating the will, and can keep locations of documents, lists of beneficiaries, and debt information much more accurate.   This can save endless pain and conflict between family members because it is an accurate, up-to-date proof of your wishes, where things are, and can serve to assist your friends and family in easing the pain of having to deal with what's left of your stuff after you're gone. We all have stuff, and while it's precious to us, 90% of it is junk to someone else.   There's also the problem of internet security and identi...

This recipe is from my vintage 1980's cookbook I got when I was first married to Randy. I was so pleased and surprised to find this particular recipe because I recognized it from my grandmother's kitchen. This was the treat my brother and I always requested.  It's also a pagan recipe. At Imbolg and Eostar, there is an emphasis on eggs (obviously) and newborn spring things. 

This has been my most successful cake to date to serve at church. There wasn't a crumb left.