Thankful... Day Eleven

Today, I am thankful for all the veterans who have served in our nation's armed forces.  You are owed a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. 

 

To my own family members... "Thank you!" Dad and Grandad!

 

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I am linking up with Dawn (another Dawn!) at the Goodlife for 30 Thankful Days.  What are you thankful for?  Feel free to link up and join us or leave your answer here in a comment!

 

 

Just stopping by with a few obervations...

Oh, yes… we’re into the end-of-the-semester-preparing-for-Christmas-don’t-forget-the-next-event days. So, I’m just dropping into this blog o’mine to share a few observations I’ve made over the last few days.

• We’re receiving very few Christmas cards this year. So, I’m wondering… Is no one sending cards this year? Or, have we been marked off everyone’s list???
• We scaled back on the Christmas décor this year. Bud thinks it’s great and says we should scale back even more next year. My opinion? Big mistake. Huge mistake. It won’t happen again.
• My kids are having a hard time coming up with ideas of things they’d like to receive as Christmas gifts. I think Burrito summed it up pretty well when he said, “I think that might be a sign that we’re spoiled.” Hmmm… maybe? (Probably.)
• Speaking of Burrito, he’s halfway through his senior year. He’s been accepted to three universities so far and we’re waiting to hear from one more. We’re very proud of him! Nothing more to say about that lest the tears flow.
• Kat is halfway through her freshman year of high school. Is it just my imagination or is the transition to high school harder for girls than boys?
• You know how the police will tell you that there’s no such thing as ticket quotas… particularly at the end of a month? Well, I’ve been making my own observations of the situation over the last few months. My conclusion? I’m not buying that story. (And, no… I haven’t received a ticket.)
• Blogs are being neglected. And, it’s not just the season – it’s another trend I’ve notice over the last several months. You know who you are! (Of course, those bloggers probably aren’t reading my blog anymore either.) And yes, I realize this point is like the pot calling the kettle black.
• It doesn’t feel like December yet. It’s hard to feel Christmassy when the daily temperatures have been in the mid-60s to mid-70s lately. I still made Bud turn on the gas to our fireplace and we’ve used it on a few cooler evenings. I love it! Bud on the other hand, suggested I just burn a few $20s instead.
• This post is making Bud seem very cynical. He’s really not.
• Speaking of Christmas cards… mine are finished but I haven’t mailed them yet. Just in case you were thinking you’d been marked off my list.
• We scaled way back on Christmas gift-giving this year. It feels good. It feels right.
• I’m still in my jammies and need to leave the house in 20 minutes. Guess I’d better get moving.

What observations have you made lately?

Do you know what month it is?

If you answered March, you'd be wrong. Because this was a trick question, of course!

It is National Peanut Month.

Not this kind of Peanuts...

This kind...

Seriously!

You can verify my facts on the Peanut Butter Lovers website. (Who knew, right?) Still doubting? It's even been announced on the National Peanut Board's website. It's a great site with lots of info, recipes, fun facts, tips on growing peanuts, a children's page and even lesson plans for those of you who need them.

Did you know that Americans eat more than 600 million pounds of peanuts and 700 million pounds of peanut butter each year? (That little tidbit of info ought to come in handy during your next game of Trivial Pursuit!)

There's no shortage of peanut and peanut butter lovers in our household. So, in honor of this special month, I'm baking one our favorite peanut butter treats this afternoon. And, I'm going to share my recipe!

Peanut Bars

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 egg

1 teaspoon real vanilla flavoring

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup regular oats

2 cups chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sugars, butter, peanut butter, egg and vanilla flavoring. Stir in flour and oats. Spread in greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Bake until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Immediately upon removing from oven, sprinkle chocolate chips over the baked bars. Let stand 5 minutes and then use a spatula to smooth melted chips over the bars. Let bars cool completely before slicing.

In a hurry? Stir the chocolate chips into the dough before spreading in baking pan and bake as directed.

Happy New Year!

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

(An Irish Blessing)

Happy Father's Day!

I love you, Dad! XO

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a regional holiday in Mexico, primarily celebrated in the state of Puebla, with some limited recognition in other parts of Mexico. The holiday commemorates the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.

The outnumbered Mexicans defeated a much better-equipped French army that had not been defeated in almost 50 years. However, Cinco de Mayo is not "an obligatory federal holiday" in Mexico, but rather a holiday that can be observed voluntarily.

While Cinco de Mayo has limited significance nationwide in Mexico, the date is observed in the United States and other locations around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. However, a common misconception in the United States is that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico's Independence Day, which actually is September 16 (dieciséis de septiembre in Spanish), the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico.

(Thank you, Wikipedia!)

For those of you who know me and my family, you know that Cinco de Mayo is just another excuse for us to eat Mexican food. (Like we need an excuse.) This year is no exception. We're grilling chicken fajitas on the grill and serving rice and refried beans on the side. We'll top off the meal with a confection that combines two of my favorite desserts into one: sopapillas and cheesecake.

And, because you are my good friends, I'm going to share this recipe with you!

Sopapilla Cheesecake

2 pkgs. crescent rolls

2 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese (softened)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 teasp. vanilla flavoring

2 eggs

1/4 cup lime juice (use Key limes if possible)

Topping: Combine 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 2 teasp. cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Open and unroll one package of crescent rolls. Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 baking dish. (Make sure all perforated seams are pressed closed.)

In a separate bowl, use a mixer to combine the cream cheese, granulated sugar, vanilla and eggs. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add lime juice and mix 'til blended.

Pour mixture over crescent rolls in pan. Smooth with a spatula so that it evenly covers the rolls.

On a piece of waxed paper, press second can of crescent rolls to the size of the baking dish. Flip onto the top of the dessert and peel away the waxed paper.

Sprink top with sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top. Let cool and then refrigerate until cold. This is very good served with sliced strawberries!

Notes:

This recipe may be halved and prepared in an 8 inch square baking dish.

Omit the lime in the filling and the cinnamon in the topping to serve this as a breakfast danish with fresh fruit or pie filling (cherry or blueberry).

Enjoy!

Easter Blessings!

Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow.

The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. (Matthew 28:1-6)

All Things Green

Our family is part of 36.5 million U.S. residents who claim Irish ancestry. So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, I thought I'd share some interesting Irish trivia!

• St. Patrick's Day takes place each year on March 17, the traditional religious feast day of Saint Patrick. Go here for the story of St. Patrick's life - the facts are more amazing than the traditional folklore commonly told about him!
  
  
• "Erin Go Bragh," a phrase heard often on St. Patrick's Day, means: "Ireland Forever."
  
  
• Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick's Day dish. About 41.5 billion pounds and 2.6 billion pounds of U.S. beef and cabbage, respectively, were sold in 2007. The corned beef celebrants eat on St. Patrick's Day may very well have originated in Texas, which produced 6.8 billion pounds worth of beef, while the cabbage most likely came from California or New York.
  
  
• The first St. Patrick's Day parade took place in the United States. Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City on March 17, 1762. Over 100 St. Patrick's Day parades take place around the United States, but the parades in New York City and Boston are the largest. The New York St. Patrick's Day parade does not allow automobiles or floats, but over 150,000 marchers participate in the parade.
  
  
• Some city dye their rivers green in honor of St. Patrick's Day. Chicago is probably the most well-known for this tradition.
  
  
• The shamrock, which was also called the "seamroy" by the Celts, was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring. By the seventeenth century, the shamrock had become a symbol of emerging Irish nationalism. As the English began to seize Irish land and make laws against the use of the Irish language and the practice of Catholicism, many Irish began to wear the shamrock as a symbol of their pride in their heritage and their displeasure with English rule.
  
  
• It has long been recounted that, during his mission in Ireland, St. Patrick once stood on a hilltop (which is now called Croagh Patrick), and with only a wooden staff by his side, banished all the snakes from Ireland. In fact, the island nation was never home to any snakes. The "banishing of the snakes" was really a metaphor for the eradication of pagan ideology from Ireland and the triumph of Christianity. Within two hundred years of Patrick's arrival, Ireland was completely Christianized.
  
  
• Belief in leprechauns probably stems from Celtic belief in fairies, tiny men and women who could use their magical powers to serve good or evil. In Celtic folktales, leprechauns were cranky souls, responsible for mending the shoes of the other fairies. Though only minor figures in Celtic folklore, leprechauns were known for their trickery, which they often used to protect their much-fabled treasure. Leprechauns had nothing to do with St. Patrick or the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a Catholic holy day. In 1959, Walt Disney released a film called Darby O'Gill & the Little People, which introduced America to a very different sort of leprechaun than the cantankerous little man of Irish folklore. This cheerful, friendly leprechaun is a purely American invention, but has quickly evolved into an easily recognizable symbol of both St. Patrick's Day and Ireland in general.
  

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

True Love

This is real love —
not that we loved God,
but that he loved us
and sent his Son
as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
I John 4:10 (NLT)

Happy Valentine's Day!

From Our House To Yours

Because I have nothing better to do with my time. I don't have any cleaning to do. No grocery shopping left to complete. No gifts to wrap. (Bud, I'm kidding.)

Because I'm so excited my parents are on their way here from Ohio.

Mostly just because it's so funny. After all, we are a rockin' family!

Enjoy!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Do you really know The Story?

True or False?

There are no records of Joseph speaking in the Christmas story.

True. I'm sure he said something, but there is absolutely no record of him speaking at all.

The wise men were three kings from the orient.
False. The number of wise men is not mentioned. They were not kings. (Matthew 2:1)

The little drummer boy came to the manger after the other shepherds.
False. What little drummer boy? There is no mention of a drummer boy in the Bible.

The star did not appear above the manger.
True. It appeared above the house where Joseph's family was living (Matthew 2:9-11).

Jesus' ancestors include a prostitute, an adulterer, people who committed incest, and two non-Israelites.
True. Rahab was a prostitute. David & Uriah's wife were adulterers. Tamar & Judah committed incest. Rahab was a Canaanite & Ruth was from Moab (Matthew 1:3, 5, 6).

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary first and then Gabriel appeared to Joseph.
Trick question. The first part of the statement is true. Mary was first and the angel was Gabriel. (Luke 1:26) But we don't know the name of the angel who appeared to Joseph (Matthew 1:20). It might have been Harold. You know, "Hark the Harold Angel Sings.” (You do know I’m kidding here, right?) Therefore, since we can't affirm that Gabriel appeared to both Mary AND Joseph, the statement is false.

Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem because of a decree by Caesar Augustus.
True. (See Luke 2:1-5.)

Mary rode a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
False: A donkey does not appear any where in the Biblical account. She probably walked. (See references in above question.)

The wise men followed the star as it moved from their eastern land to Israel.
Apparently not. The wise men saw the star in the east (Matthew 2:2). But it did not take them to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they asked for directions. Once leaving Jerusalem the star appeared again and led them to the house in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:9).

The wise men did not arrive on the night of Jesus' birth.
True. The wise men arrive sometime after Jesus is born (Matthew 2:1). Jesus is called a child, rather than a baby (Matthew 2:11). He may have been as old as two (Matthew 2:7, 8, 14-16).

God sent a choir of chubby angels to announce Jesus' birth to the shepherds.
False. Actually, God sent an army of warrior angels! See Luke 2:13. "Company" and "host" are military terms.

Shepherding was considered a very noble occupation.
False. In first century B.C., shepherding was considereed the lowest, most repulsive of jobs. Shepherds were unable to remain ritually pure according to Pharisaic laws and so were considered unclean by the Jews. Yet God chose them for His birth announcement!

Both Joseph and Mary were told that the baby was to be named "Jesus."
True. See Matthew 1:21 and Luke 1:31. In Judaism, babies were always named by their father. Here we see God the Father (not Joseph) giving Jesus his name. By the way, "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew name "Joshua," the successor of Moses. (Joshua means "Yahweh saves").

When Herod heard about Jesus he was the only one concerned about this new king.
False. All Jerusalem was disturbed by this news of a new king (Matthew 2:3).

The wise men found Jesus lying in a manger in the town of Bethlehem.
False. The visit of the wise men occurred some months after Jesus’ birth. Mary, Joseph and Jesus were no longer in the stable but living in a house in Bethlehem, a village about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. (Matthew 2:11).

After the angels announcement the shepherds went straight to Bethlehem to see Jesus.
Correct. They were excited! They did not hesitate. They did not stop at Starbucks, they did not pass "Go" and stop to collect their $200! (See Luke 2:15-16.)

Joseph married Mary immediately after the angel appeared to him.
Yes. His obedience was quick, cheerful and complete. (See Matthew 1:24.)

Some of the shepherds doubted and refused to believe the message they heard from the angels.
False. They went to see the baby right away, they spread the word, and they praised God for what they had been permitted to see and hear. No doubt there. (See Luke 2:15-20.)

So, how'd you do???

How to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Count your blessings instead of your crosses;

Count your gains instead of your losses.

Count your joys instead of your woes;

Count your friends instead of your foes.

Count your smiles instead of your tears;

Count your courage instead of your fears.

Count your full years instead of your lean;

Count your kind deeds instead of your mean.

Count your health instead of your wealth;

Count on God instead of yourself.

(Author Unknown)

And the winner is...

I went to Random Generator and told it to pick a number for me. Out popped #11. So, I counted down through the comments to find winner #11.

It is Anonymous. Except, Anonymous isn't anonymous to me. Because of the comment, I know that it is really the Queen Mum... my mom! And, since I know for a fact that she already has this CD (because I gave it to her!), I've decided to send her a box of the very special Lamme's candy instead. (Don't worry, Queen Mum, I've got lots of other "prizes" waiting for you when you arrive next month!)

However, I still have the Martina McBride CD sitting on my desk. What should I do with it?

What's that? Have Random Generator select another winner? Really???

Okay!

This time, Random Generator selected #3... Nadine!

Congratulations, Nadine! Send me an email with your address and I'll get this CD off to you so you can begin getting into the holiday spirit with the beautiful music.

And for the rest of you... for your listening pleasure...

It has begun. (And a Give Away!)

Time's up! The winner will be announced later this evening.

I like to get the holidays started as early as possible. And I like to keep them going as long as possible - sometimes 'til the middle of January.

I start listening to the occasional Christmas song sometime around mid-October. It's my inspiration. My all time favorite holiday music is this CD:

And, once I hear the song "Christmas Canon" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, it's "game on" for me.

Immediately, I get the itch to start filling my freezers with holiday baking. After all, there's nothing worse than standing in the kitchen at midnight, waiting for that last batch of cookies to finish baking in preparation for a holiday event the next day. It's much easier to grab a package out of the freezer, arrange them neatly on a tray and go to bed!

I have to admit, I am a little behind on my baking this year. I still have about half of my planned baking to complete. (Don't even try to make me feel guilty about being behind... I'm good enough at punishing myself with guilt and pressure!)

Did I mention that my Christmas shopping happens year 'round? I like to buy the "perfect gift" as I find it. Usually at a much better price than what last minute shopping produces.

And then there's the decorating. It's starting today in our home. I'll wrap up the inside decorating tomorrow. Bud and I will be scaling ladders and climbing through bushes on Saturday morning to get all the outdoor lights in place. (Well, okay... only Bud will be scaling ladders. I like to keep my feet on the ground.) Don't worry, we don't turn on any lights until Thanksgiving evening.

We also hold off decorating the Christmas tree until the day after Thanksgiving. Not because I have anything against decorating it sooner. But, Bud's mom spends Thanksgiving with us and we like to include her in the festivities. She's the official Master Fluffer of the tree boughs. And she's good at it!

Once the tree is fully fluffed and festooned, we turn on all the lights. Inside and out.

In honor of the beginning of my holiday season, I'm giving away one copy of Martina McBride's "White Christmas" CD***. To win, leave a comment and tell me about your family's favorite Christmas tradition. One entry per person, please. Entries will be accepted through midnight Saturday. The winner will be announced Sunday evening.

(***Martina McBride is not sponsoring this contest. She is not a personal friend of mine. I wish. She doesn't even know I exist.)

The day after... let's not forget them!

It's easy to remember and honor our veterans and service men and women on Veteran's Day. But what about the next day? The next month?? Especially during the holidays...

The Red Cross is partnering with Pitney Bowes this holiday season for the Holiday Mail for Heroes campaign. They are collecting holiday cards to distribute to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world. Pitney Bowes is generously donating technology, resources and postage to make this holiday card program possible.

Their goal is to collect and distribute one million holiday cards to spread holiday cheer and facilitate thanks to these brave individuals and families.

Please send cards to this address:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
PO Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD 20791-5456

There are very specific guidelines which must be followed when participating. Please go here to see these guidelines.

You can also:

• Download and print a free card.
• Get the latest news about Holiday Mail for Heroes.

Want to do more?

Phone cards, gift cards and care packages are all ways for individuals, families, and school, civic, social or church organizations to get involved in remembering our U.S. service members this holiday season.

Phone and gift cards help our troops stay in touch with family and loved ones as well as allowing them to purchase items they need. Those wishing to send calling cards or gift cards/certificates should go to the Army and Airforce Exchange Service website, scroll down to "AAFES Community Connection" and click on "Help Our Troops Call Home" or "Gift Cards/Certificates for Our Troops" in order to send such items. (Phone cards or gift cards will not be accepted with the holiday cards.)

Those wishing to send care packages should go to the America Supports You website and click under "Homefront Groups" to find out how to send care packages.

There are deadline for participating in these wonderful programs - many much earlier than you'd expect. Don't allow procrastination to keep you from participating!

And that, my fellow Americans, works for me! To see more Works For Me Wednesday ideas, please visit Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer.

(Please note: There is currently an email circulating which solicits Christmas cards for wounded soldiers at the Walter Reed Medical Center. For the protection of our service men and women, the U.S. Postal system will not accept any letters or packages addressed to "Any Service Member" or "Any Wounded Service Member." The falsehood of these types of email requests can be verified at Snopes.)

Thank you!

Have a Star-Spangled Fourth!

I love the 4th of July! I love everything it represents about our country and I thoroughly enjoy celebrating the holiday. Our family’s U.S. flag proudly flies on the front of our house and the overhang of our front porch is decked out with red, white and blue buntings. I am worse than the kiddos when it comes to anticipating the fireworks at the end of the evening. Throw in a well-sung rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” and I instantly become misty-eyed.

"The Star-Spangled Banner" comes from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key, a then 35-year-old amateur poet who wrote "Defence of Fort McHenry" after seeing the bombardment of Fort McHenry at Baltimore, Maryland, by Royal Navy ships in the Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. It wasn’t until later that the poem was renamed and set to music.

Did you know that our national anthem has four stanzas? Only the first is commonly sung today, with the fourth ("O thus be it ever when free men shall stand ...") added on more formal occasions.

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Sing it loud! Sing it proud! (And please stand up, face the flag, take off your hat, and place your hand over your heart.)

For more Fourth of July trivia, visit Steph over at For the Love of Sam.

God bless America and may we enjoy our freedom with lives deserving of His blessings!

Remember

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."

(Information from http://www.usmemorialday.org/)