For Wednesday, November 30th, 2016

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH, 2016

20 DAYS UNTIL WINTER 

24 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Sunrise: 7:34 am

Sunset: 4:59 pm

Life is a Special Occasion!

Hallmark

Today is Stay Home Because You’re Well Day.  The point of this holiday is to take a moment to just slow down and enjoy life, seeing as how it has become so very hectic over the recent years, what with the endless barrage of phone calls, text messages, emails, voicemails, etc., that we are face with on an everyday basis. Normally people do not go to work and stay at home because they do not feel well. But this one unofficial holiday recommends the opposite.  But beware: Stay At Home Because You Are Well Day is no general excuse to stay away from work.

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

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

The man who doesn't relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on.

Elbert Hubbard

It’s always a good idea to take some time off from our everyday duties and take a break.  I know I certainly did enjoy my break when I took a little trip to visit two of my sons and their families last week.  The timing was just perfect.  All the stress of the past few months were wearing me down and for one whole week I got away from it all.  What a relief!  

Yesterday turned out to be a partly sunny one here so I took advantage of the warmer day and got outside to rake up some leaves in the yard.  It felt good.  Being outdoors is always a good thing for me too and a great stress reliever, especially when the sun is shinning.  We won’t get many more days like that until sometime next Spring!

Today I’ll be back to working inside. DD is supposed to come over and we’ll tackle the storage bins with Christmas decorations.  There must be at least 8 of them and I’m trying to downsize to only two.   There is no way I can take all this with me when I move so it must go. 

On the bright side:  One man’s trash is another’s treasure!

The pictures today are of some wonderful cupcakes we got when visiting the Silos.  They were the best ! It seems all we did was eat when I was gone, including our Southern Belle’s fudge and I got a picture of her making that too!

I hope you all have a  WONDERFUL Wednesday!

WHAT’S NEW IN THE KITCHEN

There is a food holiday to celebrate every day of the year!

It’s National Mousse Day!

We tend to think of mousse as a chocolate flavored dessert. However, this light, airy creamy whip is often made with fruit. It's a good dessert choice for the Holidays, when festive meals tend to be on the heavy side. National Mousse Day reminds us: There's always room for mousse!

Pumpkin Mousse

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 can, 16 ounce size, pumpkin
1 box instant vanilla pudding mix
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 cup cold milk
4 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
24 gingersnaps
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in pumpkin. Add pudding mix and pumpkin pie spice; mix well. Gradually beat in milk. Fold in whipped topping. 

Spoon about 1/4 cup each into serving dishes. Crumble 2 gingersnaps over each. Divide remaining pumpkin mixture among dishes. Garnish with a whole gingersnap. Chill until serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love! 

Hamilton Wright Mabie

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

4435. for a week off, it was wonderful

4436. for pumpkin, good and good for you

4437. for a sunny day to clear the leaves

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

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 time to relax is when you don't have time for it.  

Attributed to both Jim Goodwin and Sydney J. Harris

A little smile, a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma

For Tuesday, November 29th, 2016

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH, 2016

21 DAYS UNTIL WINTER 

25 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Sunrise: 7:32 am

Sunset:  5:00 pm

Life is a Special Occasion!

Hallmark

Today is Giving Tuesday! This day is an opportunity to step back from the chaos of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and embrace the best part of the holidays, the season of giving. Find a way to give back to your community or support the causes that mean the most to you!

 At the end of the day, the truth is that there are thousands of charity organizations the world over, many of which are likely located somewhere near you. Every single one of them could use your help, so find a cause that is especially important to you personally, whether it’s fighting a certain type of cancer, helping to buy schoolbooks for children from very poor families, or helping the animals at your local animal shelter, and take action! 

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

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.

Author Unknown

There is absolutely no doubt about it, I have been giving away lots of things in my house and this week will be no different. Many thanks to DD who has a truck and has taken loads and loads to Salvation Army.  

I’m hoping to sort through the multitude of Christmas decorations and get them sent off so that maybe they’ll help someone who needs them.  I’ll be saving only the precious few that mean the most to me.  

It’s looking like the front yard needs a raking so I’m thinking that may be on the to do list for today.  Hopefully it’ll be the last time for this year although the oak tree across the street still has a lot of leaves on it.

Todays pictures are of some of the side trips I made last week when on vacation.

I hope you all have a TERRIFIC Tuesday!

WHAT’S NEW IN THE KITCHEN

There is a food holiday to celebrate every day of the year!

It’s National Lemon Cream Pie Day! According to culinary historians, people have been enjoying lemon flavored custards and desserts since the Middle Ages. Chefs during this time period also used lemons to perfume the water they used for cooking. This was supposed to give their dishes a refreshing flavor.

The classic lemon cream pie we know and love today emerged in the 1920s. Bake your own or pick one up at your local bakery in honor of National Lemon Cream Pie Day!
A simple lemon pie is only a few ingredients away! This Lemon Cream Pie comes together with very little prep, is practically fail-proof, and is a pie everyone will love!

Serves 8 

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 

1/4 cup sugar

 pinch of salt

 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Pie:

 1, 8 oz,  package cream cheese, softened

 1, 14 oz, can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest

whipped cream, for serving

For the crust: preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, stir the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt together. Add the butter and stir to mix. Pour the crumbs into a 9 inch pie dish, and press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom of the dish and up the sides. I think it is easiest to use a cup to press the crumbs firmly into the dish. Bake the crust in the oven for 7 minutes, then remove and let cool completely.

For the pie: place the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Add the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest and continue to beat until as smooth as possible. This may take a few minutes. If desired, mix in a few drops of yellow food coloring. Pour the filling into the pie crust and smooth the top with an offset spatula. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To serve, top with whipped cream, if desired.

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love! 

Hamilton Wright Mabie

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

4432. for lots to give away

4433. for lemons, lemonade, and creme pies

4434. for DD and her truck

Enter into His courts with thanksgiving — and in His presence 

is fullness of Joy!

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

A hug is a great gift - one size fits all, and it's easy to exchange

Author Unknown

A little smile, a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma

For Monday, November 28th, 2016

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28TH, 2016

22 DAYS UNTIL WINTER 

26 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Sunrise: 7:32 am

Sunset:  5:00 pm

Life is a Special Occasion!

Hallmark

Today is Cyber Monday which is a marketing term for the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. The term 'Cyber Monday' was created by marketing companies to persuade people to shop online. 

Retailers  have said that their sales increased substantially on the Monday after Thanksgiving, a trend that is driving serious online discounts and promotions on Cyber Monday

If you didn’t find the deal you wanted on Black Friday, you just may find it today, Cyber Monday!

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

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

You take away all the other luxuries in life, and if you can make someone smile and laugh, you have given the most special gift: happiness.

 Brad Garrett

I rarely do online shopping so about the only thing I’ll be doing on line today is posting this little letter of mine to all of you.  

I haven’t even been able to sit down and think much about Christmas yet.  I hope to be able to give some gifts to friends and family, but what they will be is still undetermined. I want them to be gifts from the heart with no monetary value, so I’d better get started on something.

A gift from the heart is a gift of time and talent. It can be something you do well like: Cook, clean, babysit, garden, sew, drive, or shop. A weekend of babysitting, a day of housecleaning, six hours of errand running are just a few of great ideas I’ve found so far.  I’m sure everyone can appreciate the gift of time.

 In the past I’ve made homemade gifts, but haven’t had the time for that this year, so this may very well be the way to go.  

Remember the best gift is one that delivers a message of love and joy that remains with the recipient long after the gift has been consumed, used or put away. 

The best times are the ones that linger on in our memories, the things that neither money nor credit can buy.

The pictures today are more of our family Thanksgiving activities.   Those kids of mine always make me laugh!  Our Princess is taking a photography class and provided props for pictures and we had a lot of fun with that.

I hope you all have a GREAT start to this new week.  Happy Monday!

WHAT’S NEW IN THE KITCHEN

There is a food holiday to celebrate every day of the year!

It’s French Toast Day

There’s a blend that just makes our morning fantastic, and it’s a blending of eggs, milk, and cinnamon with bread dipped in. There’s something about the savory sweet smell of it, and the anticipation of having it painted with butter and drizzled with syrup, with a side of breakfast sausage and a tall glass of orange juice that’ll get us out of bed on even the worst of days. French Toast Day is honors this amazing breakfast delight, and encourages you to enjoy it for breakfast with a few friends.

If you’ve got any stale bread in the kitchen, this is a great way to use it up. The recipe tends to call for bread that’s at least a day old because older slices will be able to soak up the tasty egg and milk mixture without falling apart. Then, once you’ve fried it up, you can slather on as much jam, syrup, fruit or honey as you like. If you’re feeling extra indulgent, why not pop a swirl of whipped cream on top

In Italy, there’s a savory version, called ‘mozzarella en carrozza’, which sees the egg soaked bread sandwiching slices of mozzarella cheese before it is fried. Its name literally means ‘mozzarella in a carriage’. So you can have eggy bread for your main meal too!

Happy French Toast Day !

COUNTING MY GIFTS

Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love! 

Hamilton Wright Mabie

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

4432. for the gift of time and talent, better than anything money can buy

4433. for french toast, good any time of day!

4434. for a renewed body, mind and spirit after a day of rest

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

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

God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well. 

Voltaire

A little smile, a word of cheer, 

A bit of love from someone dear…

Love,

ma