For Sunday, October 31st, 2010

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

OCTOBER 31st, 2010

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's SUNDAY!

AND HAPPY ALL HALLOWS EVE

History tells us that this holiday comes from ancient times, when people believed donning costumes and masks would protect them on this Hallowed Eve from evil spirits. Our stomachs tell us we ate waaay too much candy,

Quote for the Day: Home is where the haunt is!

Did you know? Kids beware! About 9 out of 10 parents admit to sneaking a treat from their kids treat bag.

THINKING

Halloween on a Sunday can be an excellent opportunity to put the day in perspective. All Hallows Eve is the evening before All Saints Day

Some say Halloween is silly nonsense, a commercial opportunity and a waste of money. But Halloween has a lot to offer. Halloween puts us in touch with the mystery of life and that some things in life are often clouded in darkness. It puts us in touch with the struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil.

It may have pagan origins but the Christian message is wrapped around it. It is a simple Halloween message that God calms, encourages and reassures us especially when we struggle with darkness, evil, mystery and the unknown.

If the world had never been freed from sin and death, Halloween haunting wouldn’t just be spooky make-believe: It would be the terrifying reality of a world in the grip of evil. That would be no fun at all.

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

Today is Carve a Pumpkin Day

This is your last chance to carve a pumpkin because Halloween is tonight. You can roast pumpkin seeds, drink apple cider and enjoy your pumpkin carvings.

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a traditional, healthy snack during fall pumpkin carving

Just extract seeds from pumpkin.

Separate and discard pulp.

Thoroughly wash seeds in warm water.

Spread seeds out onto a cookie sheet.

Sprinkle generously with salt.

Put into oven and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.

Check every five minutes and stir, adding more salt or to taste.

Check seeds to see if they are done by taking a sample out, allowing to cool and tasting. If the insides are dry, they are done.

Allow to cool and serve.

You can make as many different flavors of pumpkin seeds as you can imagine. Replace the salt from the recipe above with the suggested seasoning. Here are some we suggest you try:

Cheesy Pumpkin Seeds- sprinkle with Cheesy popcorn seasoning.

Tex-Mex Style- Sprinkle powdered Taco seasoning onto the seeds. This is better mixed in a bowl first. Add more red pepper powder for a really hot seed!

Cajun style- Mix seeds in a bowl with a packet of cajun seasonings mix. If you like it really spicy, add extra hot sauce.

Garlic Salt- yum! Lo-Salt Diet!? Use garlic powder.

PRAYERS

Lord, come and stay with me. Fill my home with your presence and fill my heart with your praise. Help me to show kindness and mercy to all, even to those who cause me harm

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

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

AROUND HOME

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower.

Albert Camus

The colors are fast fading in all the trees around my house. Most are loosing their leaves already. The days are truly beginning to look like November. Bleak, gray and dreary. Thankfully there are a few bits of color left as we've not had a hard freeze yet, the grass is still green. And as you can see by the pictures I've had lately there are a still blooms left out side. Those roses of mine still have a few precious buds left too.

COUNTING THE DAYS

There is no limit to how much love your heart can hold. So put a little more love in your life right now.

There is no limit to how much beauty you can admire. So make a point in each moment to see some new beauty you've never noticed before.

There is no limit to how much joy you can experience. So go ahead and feel the joy that lives inside, as you generously let it flow out to the whole world.

There is no limit to kindness, to hope, or to faith. There is no limit to the goodness and value that you can imagine.

Though some things in this world are occasionally in short supply, there is no limit to the best things in life. There is no limit to what really matters.

Treasure those good things that have no limit. For there is no limit to the richness they can bring.

Ralph Marston

51 DAYS UNTIL WINTER

55 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

166 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

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

Love,

ma

For Saturday, October 30th, 2010

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

OCTOBER 30th, 2010

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's SATURDAY!

Mischief Night is today, errrr tonight! It is an evening when people traditionally participated in harmless (please) mischief. We stress harmless or innocent mischief. We neither encourage or endorse participation in this day. Why risk getting into trouble.

Historically, some common forms of mischief has included:

Soaping windows

Egging houses and cars

Tossing a few rotten tomatoes

Toilet papering house trees, etc.

Knocking on doors, then running away

Have a happy, safe, and harmless Mischief Night

Hold on, man We don't go anywhere with scary, spooky, haunted, or forbidden in the title.

from Scooby-Doo

THINKING

The past is history,
The future a mystery,
The present is a gift so use it.

The only time we ever have available to us is this moment right now, so why do we spend so much time thinking about the past and the future? Living in the moment frees us from worry and stress and is the way to fully appreciate our life experience.

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

Today is Candy Corn Day

On the one hand, candy corn seems to be getting enough recognition in the Halloween season, so is a candy corn day really necessary. On the other hand, for the whole rest of the year no one so much as looks at candy corn, so we suppose it may as well soak up the attention while it can.

Enjoy a handful of this sweet Fall treat.

Candy Corn and Peanut Treat

1 cup Candy Corn

1 cup salted peanuts

Mix the Candy Corn and peanuts together

Serve in a bowl.

I love this mixture of sweet and salty and have been enjoying it for awhile now.

PRAYERS

Lord, when difficulties surround us, help us to keep a sense of balance and stay peaceful within.

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

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

AROUND HOME

It has been a quiet week here and I've not really been out since Monday when I went out to shop for a few things. Still the days fly by. Next week I'll be having my week of watching our Mr. Wonderful so my days are about to get busier yet. I am so thankful that I never have reason to think that life is dull. Every day is new and exciting.

Trick or Treat is Sunday evening here and as usual I'll be out on the porch with treats for the tricksters. I enjoy their little funny faces and costumes. I just hope it isn't freezing cold. I'll have my layers on though so should be warm no matter.

COUNTING THE DAYS

Choose a wish, find a dream
Pick a wishing star
Let your hopes and spirits soar
High and free and far.

Reach for the unreachable
Stretch to touch the sky
Know no dream you treasure
Is too far away or high.

Believe in the impossible
Then work and try and do
For only those who dare to dream
Can make a dream come true!

Author Unknown

52 DAYS UNTIL WINTER!

56 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

167 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

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

Love,

ma

For Friday, October 29th, 2010

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

OCTOBER 29th, 2010

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY!

Held the last Friday in October, this is a day to party down in the name of the classic story Frankenstein. Written in 1818 by Mary Shelly, Frankenstein and his monster are still some of our favorite fictional characters.

To celebrate this day, we suggest you read the novel, or see a Frankenstein movie.

THINKING

As I’m older now, and hopefully a little wiser. I know that taking the time to pray can make all the difference when confronted with life’s challenging problems.

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.

Luke 6:12

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

Hermit Day is today. It could be a quiet day to spend quietly in seclusion, all by yourself, but there is also more than one kind of hermit so today I'm sharing a recipe for Hermit cookies.

Hermit cookie recipes have been popular with cookie makers for generations. There are different versions of hermit cookies, but they all contain spices and most contain raisins and/or nuts. Some think they were named Hermits because they are often dropped separately onto a cookie sheet and have the appearance of a hermit's brown robe.

SPICE HERMITS

1/2 cup shortening, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons milk, 1-3/4 cups flour, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon clove, 1/4 teaspoon mace, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 cup chopped raisins.

Cream together shortening and sugar. Add beaten eggs and milk and mix well. Mix and sift flour, spices and baking powder. Add to first mixture and mix well. Add chopped raisins and mix thoroughly. Drop from teaspoon 2 inches apart on greased pan. Bake in moderate oven (325ºF) 15 to 20 minutes.

Why not bake a batch of hermit cookies for your friends and loved ones tonight?

PRAYERS

Lord, let us never be so tied up or occupied only with our own concerns that we lose focus on the real world. Inspire us to live in such a way that we live balanced and unselfish lives, having time for others, knowing that we are all brothers and sisters.

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

GOD BLESS YOU!

AROUND HOME

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping.

Edgar Allen Poe

Even the shortest siesta works and makes you feel a whole lot better. Studies showed that naps improve creativity and judgement. The National Sleep Foundation reported that everyday job stress may be alleviated by taking a 15 to 20 minute nap to restore alertness, memory, and curb the effects of fatigue.

Happiness is an afternoon nap...

COUNTING THE DAYS

Greatness is making others feel great !

G.K. Chesterton

53 DAYS UNTIL WINTER!

57 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

168 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

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

Love,

ma

For Thursday, October 28th, 2010

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

OCTOBER 28th, 2010

If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side

It's THURSDAY!

And today is LIBERTY DAY

An emblem of Franco-American unity, the Statue of Liberty, was presented to the American people by the French and unveiled this day in 1886

Inscribed on a tablet inside the pedestal of ‘Miss Liberty’ is a poem by Emma Lazarus. It describes the statue of a woman holding a book and torch. The symbol of freedom, she waits for immigrants who must pass by her on their way to Ellis Island and admission to America. It reads:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, with conquering limbs astride from land to land; here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand a mighty woman with a torch, whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command the air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

Keep your ancient lands, your storied pomp! cries she with silent lips. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest lost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

There are 192 steps from the land to the pedestal, with a total of 354 steps to reach the crown. The crown features 25 windows, symbolizing earth's 25 gemstones. Seven rays represent the seven seas and continents of the world.

THINKING

Doubt sees the obstacles

faith sees the way.

Doubt sees the darkest night

Faith sees the day.

Doubt dreads to take a step

Faith soars on high

Doubt questions who believes?

Faith answers, I

Author Unknown

NEW IN THE KITCHEN

Hello, any other chocoholics out there?

Well, praise the Lord and pass the cocoa, because today is National Chocolate day. Yes, October 28th, just before Halloween is a day for chocolate lovers.

You've probably been hearing more and more these days about the health and healing benefits of dark chocolate. It's been credited as being the number one antioxidant food in the world. 30 times higher than red wine and 20 times higher than green tea.

Here is a good way to use up and of those left over candy bars you might have after trick or treat:

Candy Bar Pie

1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1 8 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed

5 2.1 oz Butterfinder bars (or similar)

1 9 inch graham cracker crust

In a small mixing bowl beat cream cheese until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Crush candy bars. Fold 1 cup crushed candy into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into crust. Sprinkle with remaining candy bar crumbs. Refrigerate 2 to 4 hours before serving.

PRAYERS

Let us pray for all refugees and exiles who are far from their homeland.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Let us pray for a greater understanding between people, in places where there is civil unrest and war.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Let us pray for all who are experiencing persecution and oppression.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

Let us pray for all who would like to make a new start in their lives.

Lord, in your mercy - hear our prayer.

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

GOD BLESS YOU!

AROUND HOME

It is getting colder here and today some places to the east of us may even see some wet flakes by evening. We'll probably just see rain here. I'm continuing my crafting. These days are very quiet here with not much new going on at all.

COUNTING THE DAYS

To believe is to know that every day
is a new beginning.
It is to trust that miracles happen,
and dreams really do come true.
To believe is to see angels dancing among the clouds,
To know the wonder of a stardust sky
and the wisdom of the man in the moon.
To believe is to know the value of a nurturing heart,
The innocence of a child's eyes
and the beauty of an aging hand,
for it is through their teachings we learn to love.
To believe is to find the strength
and courage that lies within us.
When it is time to pick up the pieces and begin again.
To believe is to know we are not alone,
That life is a gift and this is our time to cherish it.
To believe is to know that wonderful surprises
are just waiting to happen,
And all our hopes and dreams are within reach.
If only we believe.

Author Unknown

54 DAYS UNTIL WINTER!

58 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

169 DAYS UNTIL CAMPING SEASON BEGINS

Keep looking ON THE BRIGHT SIDE of things.

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

Love,

ma