For Saturday, October 31st, 2015

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31ST, 2015

 51 DAYS UNTIL WINTER

Sunrise: 7:59 am

Sunset:  6:26 pm

Life is a Special Occasion!

Hallmark

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !

On Halloween the autumn air is crisp, the smell of fallen leaves wafts on breezes that bring showers of their fellows from the trees they caress. On every home we find the strands of fake spider webs, ghouls and goblins in the bushes, and the bounties of the last harvest displayed as sheaves of corn and grinning Jack O'Lanterns.

Among the favorites this time of year is caramel apples and today is also Caramel Apple Day. They are rich blend of butter, cream, and sugar cooked into a thick caramel, with the green and red bounties of the orchards dipped in them. 

The simplest way to celebrate Caramel Apple Day is to enjoy a caramel apple! That’s always a great place to start, but there’s nothing quite like making your own caramel apples to really get into the spirit of the season.

If you can't see the Bright Side, polish the dull side

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

You wouldn't believe
On All Hallow Eve
What lots of fun we can make,
With apples to bob,
And nuts on the hob,
And a ring and thimble cake.

Carolyn Wells

My favorite way to fix caramel apples is by simply slicing an apple in a dish, then pour warm caramel sauce over it and sprinkle them with some chopped nuts.  They are delicious no matter how you make them.  Some use rich deep caramel rolled in kosher salt, or sprinkled with chocolate candy sprinkles. Others may even dip them in caramel and then white chocolate! Delicious!

Bobbing for apples used to be a fun game played at Halloween parties when I was young and I think there are those that still do it.  Apples are a tasty treat and good for you too!  They say an apple a day will keep the doctor away.  I’ll be having mine with some caramel sauce.

It hardly seems possible that October has come to an end.  It went by so fast, I barely noticed it was here.  But busier even will be the days of November and then December.  

Stopping a few minutes every day to take in the beauty that surrounds us is doubly important when we are so busy trying to get it all done.  If we don’t, we’ll miss some of the best moments in life.  Little things become great things when done with love.

I hope you all have a SUPER Saturday!

COUNTING MY GIFTS

From ghoulies and ghosties
And long leggedy beasties
And things that go bump in the night,
Good Lord, deliver us!

Scottish Saying

Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for.  There is truly is always something to be thankful for.

3268.  for apples, and caramel sauce too

3269. for moments that very often take my breath away

3270. for the extra hour of sleep I’ll gain tonight.  Don’t forget to fall backward ! Daylight Savings Time ends tomorrow.

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!

54 Days Until Christmas

A peanut tip: it's easy to recycle styrofoam packing materials if you dump them into a drawstring plastic garbage bag. Close the drawstring for storage and don’t forget to label what’s in the bag. When you're ready to pack your own boxes, snip wedge off a bottom corner of the bag. Pour your peanuts out the hole, then clip the corner closed with a potato chip bag clip. Neat solution!

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

 

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

 

Almighty and eternal God,

Protect our military

as they discharge their duties

with the shield of your strength,

may the power of your love

enable them to return home in safety

that with all who love them

they may ever praise you for your loving care.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT’s

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOD BLESS YOU ALL !

ADVICE FOR TODAY

Once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold. 

Judith Olney

A little smile, a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

 

Love,

ma

 

For Friday, October 30th, 2015

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30TH, 2015

 52 DAYS UNTIL WINTER

Sunrise: 7:58 am

Sunset:  6:28 pm

Life is a Special Occasion!

Hallmark

National Candy Corn Day is today. Enjoy a handful of this sweet Fall treat. And, what perfect timing. National Candy Corn Daycomes just a day before Halloween. That means you can eat plenty of it, before you go out Trick or Treating.

Candy corn can be enjoyed all year long. Place it in a candy dish any time of the year, and watch it disappear by the handful. By far, the vast majority of candy corn is consumed during the Fall months, with both Halloween and Thanksgiving being the biggest times to eat it.

Candy corn was invented in the 1880s by George Renninger, and first manufactured by the Wunderle Candy Company. The Goelitz Candy company was the first to manufacture mass quantities around the turn of the century.

Candy corn consists primarily of corn syrup, honey, and sugar. There's lots of sweetness, but it's fat free!

Have a happy  National Candy Corn Day

If you can't see the Bright Side, polish the dull side

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

The great thing about candy is that it can't be spoiled by the adult world. Candy is innocent. And all Halloween candy pales next to candy corn, if only because candy corn used to appear, like the Great Pumpkin, solely on Halloween.

Rosecrans Baldwin

My favorite way to eat candy corn is to mix it with dry roasted peanuts.  The mix of sweet and salty is really good!  Although candy corn comes in many different flavors, my choice is the original flavor.  It’s fun to decorate cookies and cakes with some candy corn on top too.

Of course I had to do a search to see what new recipe I could find using candy corn too and this is what I found.

Candy Corn Magic Bars.

 A seven layer magic bar made with candy corn. So it’s perfect for Halloween!

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

 1/2 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup coconut

1 cup candy corn

1 can sweetened condensed milk, 14 ounces

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13” pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Stir graham cracker crumbs into the melted butter. Press into the bottom of your prepared pan. Sprinkle white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, coconut, and candy corn over the top. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the top of the bars. Bake for about 25 minutes, until they get golden around the edges. Cool completely before slicing into bars.

Tomorrow night will be our Trick or Treat night here and it looks like Saturday will be in the 50’s and mostly dry so we should have a great Halloween here.

I hope you all have a FANTASTIC Friday!

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Candy is childhood, the best and bright moments you wish could have lasted forever.

Dylan Lauren

Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for.  There is truly is always something to be thankful for.

3265.  for things sweet and salty

3266. for another new recipe to try out

3267. salted caramel cappuccino, delicious

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!

55 Days Until Christmas

On the first Sunday in November, we come to the end of Daylight Saving Time in most of the United States. Remember that when its time to change the clocks, it’s time change the batteries.  And if you’re one of the lucky few that don’t have to change your clock, just change your batteries.

Smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors save lives when they're powered on by a fresh battery. Safety experts recommend replacing smoke and carbon monoxide detector batteries twice a year. Celebrate Time Change Sunday with fresh batteries all around.

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

 

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

 

Almighty and eternal God,

Protect our military

as they discharge their duties

with the shield of your strength,

may the power of your love

enable them to return home in safety

that with all who love them

they may ever praise you for your loving care.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT’s

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOD BLESS YOU ALL !

ADVICE FOR TODAY

You know why I love November 1st? 50% off Halloween candy!

Author Unknown 

A little smile, a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

 

Love,

ma

 

For Thursday, October 29th, 2015

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH, 2015

 53 DAYS UNTIL WINTER

Sunrise: 7:57 am

Sunset:  6:29 pm

Life is a Special Occasion!

Hallmark

National Cat Day, an unofficial national holiday, is celebrated each year on October 29.  National Cat Day was founded to help the public recognize the number of cats that need to be rescued.  The day also encourages cat lovers to celebrate the cats in their lives for the unconditional love and companionship that they bestow upon them.

Happy National Cat Day.

If you can't see the Bright Side, polish the dull side

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats. 

English Proverb

I love cats but don’t have any here at my house anymore.  With Halloween coming up this is a good time to think about keeping your cats safe indoors when the trick or treaters will be roaming the streets.  Cats are pretty independent pets and often will be the ones to choose when and where they want attention, but they are loving and adorably cute!

After a very rainy day here yesterday, today it should be stopping but it’s to be very windy out they say, so hang on to your hat.  On the bright side the wind will help dry up all the rain.

The dates for our family Thanksgiving and Christmas get togethers have now been set and menus are being planned for the feasts.  For Thanksgiving everyone has been asked to bring their new favorite dessert to share and so I did a search to see what new idea I could come up.  There are so many choices it’s hard for me to choose. I did find one that sounds pretty yummy so I thought I’d share that recipe today.

These brownies will make any of you peanut butter and chocolate lovers absolutely ecstatic.

Buckeye Brownies

For the Brownies:
⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa
1½ teaspoons instant espresso, optional
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons, 2 ounces, butter, melted
½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2½ cups granulated sugar
1¾ cups flour
¾ teaspoon salt

For the Peanut Butter Filling:
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
½ cup butter
Pinch salt
2¼ cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze:
1½ cups milk chocolate chips

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
 Make the Brownies: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving about a one inch overhang on all sides. Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Whisk cocoa, espresso powder, and boiling water together in large bowl until smooth. Add unsweetened chocolate and whisk until chocolate is melted. Whisk in melted butter and oil. Note: Mixture may look curdled. Add eggs, yolks, and vanilla and continue to whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Whisk in sugar until fully incorporated. Add flour and salt and mix with rubber spatula until combined.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until toothpick inserted halfway between edge and center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack and cool 1½ hours.

Make the Peanut Butter Filling: Beat together the peanut butter, butter and salt on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and alternate adding the powdered sugar and the milk, mixing to combine after each addition. Add the vanilla extract, beat to combine, then increase the speed to medium high and beat until completely smooth and creamy. If it seems a little bit too dry to spread, add another splash or two of milk to get it the right consistency. Using an offset spatula, spread the peanut butter mixture in an even layer over the top of the brownies.

Make the Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze: Melt together the chocolate chips and peanut butter in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until completely smooth and melted. Pour the mixture over the peanut butter layer and spread into an even layer with a spatula. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until set.

Using foil overhang, carefully lift brownies from pan. Cut into squares and serve. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

I’ve got plenty of time to decide what I’ll take, but this one sounds like it would probably be a hit.

The costume pictured today, probably is not a cat but it was the closest I could come…sorry about that.  Still and all he’s a cutie !

I hope you all have a GREAT day!  Happy Thursday!

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want. 

Joseph Wood Crutch

Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for.  There is truly is always something to be thankful for.

3262.  for cats, adorable and very loving

3263. for a new favorite dessert recipe

3264. for family times together, always something to look forward to

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!

Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour.  Daylight Savings time ends on November 1st.

56 Days Until Christmas

Christmas movie night has become a cherished tradition in many families. Cuddling down together with popcorn and hot chocolate provides a needed stress break in a hectic season and it's just plain fun, too. It’s time to think about what movies you want to see and set a date for movie night !

Here at home I often watch the Hallmark Channel and soon it will have plenty of Christmas movies to enjoy!  Some are worth viewing a 2nd or 3rd time.

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Almighty and eternal God,

Protect our military

as they discharge their duties

with the shield of your strength,

may the power of your love

enable them to return home in safety

that with all who love them

they may ever praise you for your loving care.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT’s

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOD BLESS YOU !

ADVICE FOR TODAY

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea. 

Robert A. Heinlein

A little smile, a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma

 You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought

Matthew 5:5 (MSG)

For Wednesday, October 28th, 2015

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28TH, 2015

 54 DAYS UNTIL WINTER

Sunrise: 7:56 am

Sunset:  6:30 pm

Life is a Special Occasion!

Hallmark

Hermit Day is today. It's a day to spend quietly in seclusion, all by yourself.  For some people, being a recluse is a way of life. They spend everyday by themselves, in peaceful seclusion. For whatever reason, Hermits prefer living away from the crowds and the sea of humanity. For many of us who lead an increasingly busy lifestyle, the idea of being a 'Hermit for a Day' is very tempting. The thought of getting away from it all, even if for just one day, is very appealing.

If you are a Hermit, celebrate your lifestyle today. If you're one of the many, who yearn for a break from your hectic lifestyle, be a Hermit on this day. Chill out by yourself where no one can find you.

Have a happy, secluded, quiet, and peaceful Hermit Day

If you can't see the Bright Side, polish the dull side

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. 

Henry David Thoreau

I never really thought of myself as a hermit, but the description does seem to fit me pretty well.  Now that I’ve retired, I spend most of my days by myself in a peaceful environment. It took awhile for me to adjust to living by myself.  It was difficult after having years and years filled with lots of people in my life, but I have, and even enjoy it now.

They say there is a season and time for everything in life, and this is my quiet time. Of course there are days that I get together with family and friends and they are often the happiest of times, but have found that home is best and where I find rest.

Now that shorter days have come and longer nights too, I will be in my hibernation mode.  I’ll become more of a hermit than ever.  I’ll have many cozy days here inside where it’s warm and I’ve got the cupboards stocked so that no matter the weather, I’m prepared.

Thanks to our little Lucky Guy, we have pictures of the cutest little pumpkin man ever.  He was with his family at Boo At the Zoo in 2013.

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Wednesday!

COUNTING MY GIFTS

I’m not anti-social. I’m pro-solitude.

Author Unknown

Counting at least 3 things every day that I'm thankful for.  There is truly is always something to be thankful for.

3259.  for a peaceful time of life

3260. for a home that gives me shelter

3261. for a well stocked cupboard

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence is fullness of Joy!

57 Days Until Christmas

It’s pumpkin time and today I’ve found a recipe to share for a wonderful pumpkin cake.  A treat that will go very well with a cup of witches brew!  The cake tastes even better a few days after it's baked, so it's perfect to have on hand at this time of year, when guests tend to drop in unexpectedly.

PUMPKIN SPICE BUNDT CAKE WITH BUTTERMILK ICING

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, softened, plus additional for greasing bundt pan

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for dusting pan

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

 1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

 1 1/4 cups canned solid pack pumpkin from a 15-ounce can; not pie filling

3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

 1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs

For icing

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons well shaken buttermilk

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.

 Whisk together 2 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. 

Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.

Beat 1 1/2 sticks butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes, then add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, then bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and reinvert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.

 Make icing: While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and confectioners sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake, then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.  And just for fun I think I’ll be sprinkling a few chopped pecans on top along with a drizzle of caramel sauce.

Cake can be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

PRAYER FOR OUR TROOPS

Please pray for God's protection of

our troops and HIS wisdom for their

commanders.

Almighty and eternal God,

Protect our military

as they discharge their duties

with the shield of your strength,

may the power of your love

enable them to return home in safety

that with all who love them

they may ever praise you for your loving care.

AND bless our Police Officers, Firefighters

and Paramedics and EMT’s

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

GOD BLESS YOU ALL !

ADVICE FOR TODAY

The mind can weave itself warmly in the cocoon of its own thoughts, and dwell a hermit anywhere. 

James Russell Lowell

A little smile, a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma

 You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought

Matthew 5:5 (MSG)