What to be..what to be..

looks like we are going with hobo and drama queen. On our evening walk the girls were lamenting their lack of costumes. After tossing a few ideas around..tossing out the idea of buying ANYTHING for halloween..they have begun the creative process.

My oldest daughter, the hobo, is now sewing odd bits of fabric to some old pants so they look "patched". She's made herself a kerchief bandanna. We found some old outdoor tenny's she can cut the toe out of and some colorful socks to interchange.

The youngest, Mr. Pinch, she grabbed one of her sisters dresses and her flashy pink sunglasses. We'll roll her hair and throw on some "really red" lipstick. I asked about shoes..she says absolutely no high heels..but she's got some shiny bits of craft supplies to stick on her shoes.

I love watching their creativity and imagination take hold. I can't wait to see the final products! I'll share pics with ya'll.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Thought I'd share some interesting facts/myths/legends about St. Patrick's Day..

1. The most famous legend regarding St. Patrick is that he rid Ireland of snakes by ringing his bell from the top of Croagh Patrick, the 2500 feet tall, conical mountain near Westport. Of course this isn't a true fact, but makes for an amusing anecdote. The mountain however has become a place of annual pilgrimage. There is an ancient church at the top and at the base a natural spring well known as Patrick's well or Tobair Padraig - St. Patrick supposedly baptized the first Irish converts at this well.

2. St. Patrick is also supposed to have rid Ireland - specifically County Donegal - of a fierce lake monster. After he had killed it, the blood turned the lake red and so since then the lake has been known as Red Lake or Lough Derg. It is now a pilgrimage place and many people go there between 1 June and 15 August in the fond hope that the journey will rid them of all their sins.

3. It is wholly due to St. Patrick’s French sojourn that Hawthorn bushes bloom in the winter in the Loire Valley. He crossed the Loire River, hung his cape to dry on a Hawthorn bush, and that is how this miracle came about.

4. St. Patrick did not always have a saintly temper. Sometimes he lost it and let the curses fly. Some of his curses, with the help of geographical occurrences, worked - like the one that made a certain field sink under the sea and thereby useless for cultivation. St. Patrick's oxen had been refused permission to graze there and that had riled him a bit.

5. St. Patrick had a strong sense of justice. Once he cured a blind man, but a certain individual who had laughed at the blind fellow promptly went blind alongside.

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I see skies of blue...

clouds of white...Bright blessed days...dark sacred nights...and I think to myself...What a wonderful world! (Louis Armstrong)

That's my day yesterday. This is the first Thanksgiving that we have spent without guests. Just the six of us. We had signed up to adopt a family (a family whose spouse is deployed or who, like us, didn't have immediate family in the area) so we bought extra just in case. But all the families were adopted.

So we got up, wished each other Happy Thanksgiving and headed off to Mass. Fr. gave a wonderful homily about choices. He didn't have many of them as a child in Africa. When he came here to the U.S. he was amazed at all the choices. All that we have to be thankful for. He was right on and gave us all something to think about and talk about on the ride home.

After a small lunch, we decided to head to the movies to see The Blind Side. What a great little movie. Perfect for Thanksgiving. Uplifting and inspiring. We all enjoyed it tremendously.

Then home to fry the turkey and finish dinner. Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, cornbread stuffing and cornbread rolls. Cherry and Apple pie...mmmmm mmmmmm good. Big Tom came out all juicy and crisp. Of course, how can you not love fried turkey. Everything is better fried! Right?!?!?!? Delish. We said Grace and the kids hit the buffet. It was the boys in the kitchen for clean up and the girls in the dining room. They did a fabulous job, without complaint and so we headed for the hot tub to finish the night.

It was a wonderful world yesterday. At least in our little corner. I hope yours went just as well. Blessings!

Happy Thanksgiving!

May you and yours be blessed always.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all!

Christmas Cookie Swap

These are my most favorite chocolate chip cookies. My middle son has taken on the responsibility of making these at least once or twice a month. He's gotten very good at it! My future top chef. The secret to a great chocolate chip cookie is in the chip..we always use Nestle. We are considering a "luxury" chocolate chip bake off in the near future. We will test different high end chocolate chips against Nestle. I'll let you know how that turns out!.

Butter Flavored Crisco Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie Ingredients
3/4 c Butter flavored Crisco
1 3/4 c All-purpose flour
1 1/4 c Firmly packed brown sugar
1 ts Salt
2 tb Milk
3/4 ts Baking soda
1 tb Vanilla
1 c Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Egg
1 c Pecan pieces

Instructions for Butter Flavored Crisco Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie
Heat oven to 375. Cream butter flavor crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Blend until creamy. Blend in egg. Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture, gradually. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop rounded Tablespoonfuls (about 2 measuring tablespoons) of dough 3 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies (they will look light and moist) DO NOT OVERBAKE or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool on baking sheet 2 minutes. Remove to coo rack. 3 dozecn 3-inch cookies. Note: if nuts are omitted, use 1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spot On!

What Your Thanksgiving Meal Says About You

When it comes to the holidays, you follow and love the big traditions. You look forward to them every year. You see the holidays as a time to be close to loved ones. It's a good time to reconnect and make memories. You like the more adult aspects of the holidays - parties, cocktails, and having time off from work. During the holidays, you are likely to feel energetic. At your worst, you feel bored. You consider yourself to be a bit of a purist, and you're proud of it. You tend to spend you holidays taking care of others. Holidays are one of the times you like to give.

What Does Your Thanksgiving Meal Say About You?