For Thursday, April 1st, 2010

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

APRIL 1^ST, 2010

It's THURSDAY!

Diamond is the birthstone for April

Birth Month Flower of April is The Daisy

Opening and facing the sun, yet closing at the day's end, characterize how the daisy was named daeges-eaye or day's eye from Old English. This simple flower symbolizing childhood innocence, often depicted in movies with children running through fields overgrown with daisies. As pretty as the daisy is, it is hard to believe that this flower could ever be despised. However, the daisy can be somewhat of a nuisance to farmers. The daisy acts as a weed, overcrowding crops and over powering fields, as insects easily spread its pollen. However, daisies have practical uses. Its leaves and petals are edible and it can also be brewed as a tea to sooth sore throats and stomach aches.

According to the wisdom of The Old Farmer's Almanac, If it thunders on All Fools' Day, it brings good crops of corn and hay

THINKING

Thursday of Holy Week is remembered as the time Jesus ate a final meal together with the men who had followed him for so long. Traditionally in the Christian Church, this day is known as Maundy Thursday. The term Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum from which we get our English word mandate, from a verb that means to give, to entrust, or to order.

In some churches, it is traditional for the pastor or priest to wash the feet of members of the congregation as part of the service. As Jesus and his disciples followed the instructions in the Torah to remember God’s acts of deliverance in their history as they shared the Passover meal together, so Jesus calls us to remember the new act of deliverance in our history that unfolds on these last days of Holy week

Today: Go to bed early. Give your body the rest it needs.

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

Thursdays are Breakfast for Dinner days at my house.

Tortillas come in so many great flavors that they seem to be the perfect holder for some wonderful sautéed vegetables topped with either a poached egg or an herbed egg scramble

Placed the tortillas in the shapers and let them crisp for about 10 minutes in oven at 375 degrees. Cool for 10 minutes out of the oven but in the shapers. Then remove and set them on a rack. You can buy shapers that are sold specially for this purpose or you can use any other oven proof receptacle to shape then like a bowl.

While the tortillas are crisping, roast sweet potatoes fries in the oven. Remove when crispy and keep warm.

Next, with a little olive oil, sauté onions, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, Italian herbs or whatever vegetable you enjoy. In another pan, scramble eggs until ready to serve.

To serve, place the sweet potatoes in the bottom of the tortilla, add the scrambled eggs, then the sautéed vegetables and top with grated cheese. Let the cheese melt and you are ready for a yummy savory entree.

PRAYERS

Forgiving God, whenever we feel overwhelmed by the vastness of our past sin, remind us it is not as vast as your forgiveness and your infinite love for us

Amen

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in

your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the

selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. I ask this in the

name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT's!!!

AMEN

AROUND HOME

We warmed up into the 50’s yesterday and today is supposed to be warmer yet so that is good. There has been a heavy frost on the ground a couple of mornings this week.

Did you see the full moon? Yesterday was the first time I caught a glimpse of it. I always think about my family when I see it. It reminds me that no matter how far away we are, we all see the same moon. So if you see a full moon, remember I’m thinking of you all.

FAMILY

Our family has lots of April birthday in it. GD#1, Our Dino Boy, DS#2, both of my sisters and our Sunshine boy all have a birthday this month. Besides them I have a few friends with April birthdays too. One would think my life is a constant string of parties, but most of them live a good distance away so that will not be the case at my house.

COUNTING THE DAYS

Laughter is an instant vacation!

Milton Berle

81 DAYS UNTIL SUMMER !

15 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

6 WORKING DAYS UNTIL MA RETIRES

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near…

Love,

Ma

Graphics by:

For Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MARCH 31^ST, 2010

It's WEDNESDAY!

It’s the last day of March!

And it’s over the Hump we go!

2 more days till the weekend and 3 more days till Easter!

The weather is outdoing itself in our neck of the woods sunshine and warmth are here for us and we may be in the mid to high 70’s by Saturday.

THINKING

The conclusion to the week is called the Easter Triduum . A triduum is a space of three days usually accompanying a church festival or holy days that are devoted to special prayer and observance. Some liturgical traditions simply refer to The Three Days.

Many churches are just now realizing the value of Holy Week services, especially on Good Friday while others have traditionally celebrated the holy days for years. Many churches use only Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday as times of special observance. Many are incorporating an emphasis on the Passion of Jesus into services on Palm Sunday as a way to balance the celebration of Easter Sunday

It is only in walking through the shadows and darkness of Holy Week and Good Friday, that we can truly understand the light and hope of Sunday morning!

Today: Pray for all those who go without food

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

Let hungry hunters (those that hunted for Easter eggs that is) fill up on these cookie-cutter tea sandwiches made with egg salad or the following recipe

1 pound cooked ham
1/2 cup minced celery
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper 48 bread slices, thinly sliced
Cookie cutters in Easter shapes

1. In a food processor, pulse the ham for 20 to 30 seconds or until it's finely chopped (don't overdo it). Transfer it to a large mixing bowl.

2. Add the celery, onion, mayonnaise, mustard and pepper; mix well.

3. Assemble sandwiches using 2 tablespoons of filling per sandwich, then use a cookie cutter to cut out bunnies, chicks and eggs (each sandwich should yield two small shapes; save the trimmings for parents).

TIP: decorate the sandwiches with olive eyes, parsley whiskers and fresh dill feathers. Makes about 48 small shapes

PRAYERS

Generous God, you gave the most precious gift of all, Jesus Christ. Help us to trust in your generosity to us so that we, too, might give to others

Amen

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Lord, hold our troops in

your loving hands.

Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the

selfless acts they perform for us

in our time of need. I ask this in the

name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

AND God bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT's!!!

AMEN

AROUND HOME

I continue to be astounded by what my replacement doesn’t know and I am struggling because I’m having to teach some very basic elements to this person, but I’m persevering. This training is by far is one of the hardest jobs I’ve ever done. Teaching one person what you do the whole year long in 3 weeks is a biggie to begin with but teaching fundamentals of office technology is above and beyond what I’d expected to have to do.

All I know is that April 9^th is my last day to work and that is that.

FAMILY

Celebrating Easter with your children and family can be an excellent way to build lasting memories

Your family can give back to the environment on this sunny day and recycle the crumbled egg shells into a private or even a community garden.

The egg shells are excellent for compost in garden soil due to the nutrients they possess, such as calcium. Food coloring doesn't affect this

COUNTING THE DAYS

If many whitethorn blossoms or dog-roses are seen, expect a severe winter

82 DAYS UNTIL SUMMER !

16 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

7 WORKING DAYS UNTIL MA RETIRES

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

A little smile, a word of cheer,
A bit of love from someone near…

Love,

ma

Pictures today are of our Family Easter Celebration 2009

MY JOURNALS

Pictures mostly taken by ‘ma’ and courtesy of the camera provided by my ‘babes’