Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Red and White Yumminess !

One of traditional candies
that we see at Christmas is
the Candy Cane.
Candy canes started their
beginnings by being pure white and in stick form.
It was not until the early
20th century that they
appeared with the red
stripes.
These little yummies are
not only used as holiday
treats but as decorations
too. The use of the candy
canes on trees came to the
US in the 1800's. They
also come in various sizes
and now in different
flavors. Do you put these
on your tree? Ours go in our stockings.
Many people have given
religious meaning to the
shape of the candy cane.
Some say that it's shape
is like the letter "J" in
Jesus' name. Some say
it represents a shepherds
crook. Similiar to the Good
Shepherd watching over
us like little lambs.
It is a hard candy, solid
like a "rock" the foundation
of the church.
The flavor is peppermint,
which is similiar to another
member of the mint family-
hyssop. In the Old
testament it was used for
purification and sacrifice,
it alos is said to symbolize
the purity of Jesus and
sacrifice he made.
The colors are said to
represent:
WHITE--purity of Jesus
and his virgin birth.
BOLD RED--God's love.
The three fine stripes--
The HOLY TRINITY
From it's plain beginnings
to it's familiar shape and
traditional color, the candy
cane is a symbol of Christmas
and a reminder of the meaning
of the holiday.
Enjoy the taste of Christmas
this season.
~Keep on Dreaming~

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Handy Helps...

Today I'd like to share with you some of things I do or use to help out around our house. See these circles? They have been cut out of shelf liner. You know the kind with the weave in them. The liner is the plastic stretchy kind found in the kitchen isle. I have made a set for my pots and pans to seperate them and keep them from scratching each other. I also made a set for my Springform pans. Two of my students use pieces I cut for them so they are not having to chase their lunch/snack dishes around the table. Works well for them too.
Do you have a bunch of
old washcloths lying
around? In the spirit
ecosaving, I have turned
mine into dust cloths for
upstairs and rags for the
garage. I mark my dust
cloths with a "D" and
the ones for the garage
with "G" that way when
they are washed they can
be seperated and put
away where they belong.
See the bald guy up there?
No, Ken is not in the picture....
This little creation has been
used so much in my kitchen
that I often wonder why it
wasn't created a looooooong
time ago.
The other day I was reading
where someone used one of
the sponges to clean their
white leather tennis shoes
so I am going to see how this
works out. I have no doubt
that Mr Clean will come
through.
One more ecosaving
idea:
This is my part of our
closet---I keep most of
my shoe boxes (as long
as they are in good
shape.) Then I write on
the side of the lid which
shoe is in the box and
what year they were
purchased in.
Now, I realize that you
can buy those plastic shoe
boxes and make your closest
a little bit more organized
looking but I find this a great
way to organize my closet.
Hope one or more of these
are helpful to you.
~Keep on Dreaming~

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Tom Turkey, Mr. Ken
and I would like to wish
you blessings for a Happy
Thanksgiving with your
families and friends.
Enjoy the day. We have
many things to be
THANKFUL for!
+++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++
PS-Tom is a giveaway
prize I won from
Katharine Barrett
from Just a Thought.
Thanks again, Katharine!
~Keep on Dreaming~
+++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++
~~~Added fun
at 9:30 pm:
--------------------
Twas the night of
Thanksgiving,
But I just couldn't
sleep.
I tried counting
backwards,
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned,
The dark meat and white.
But I fought the
temptation,
With all of my might.
Tossing and turning,
with anticipation.
The thought of a snack
became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen,
Flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge,
Full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey,
And buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots,
Beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling.
So plump and so round.
'til all of a sudden,
I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the
ceiling,
Floating into the sky,
with mouthfuls of
pudding,
And a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell
As I soared past the
trees
Happy eating to all,
Pass the cranberries,
please!!
May your stuffing be
tastey
May your turkey be
plump.
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be
delicious,
May your pies take
the prize
And may your
Thanksgivivng
dinner
Stay off your thighs!!!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

It's Time for a Parade

One of our holiday traditions is
the Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade. It is one of my
favorite things about the
holiday.
The 84th Macy's parade is
this Thursday beginning at
9 am on NBC.
Tom Turkey is the lead
act of the parade. But he
does get some help from
his friends.
15 large character balloons.
80-100 trained personnel
it takes to steer the largest
balloons down the parade
route.
65 feet is the average height
in feet of the tallest balloons.
300-500 pounds is the
dead weight of each balloon
character, depending on
it's shape and size.
3 weeks is the amount
of time prior to the parade
that the balloons are unveiled
to Macy's staff.
12 feet is the height of the
caravan of balloons and floats
that parades through the
Lincoln Tunnel on Thanksgiving
Eve. The tunnel is shut down
to other traffic during the hour
and a half it takes to transport
the balloons and floats.
3 years is the time the parade
featured live animals from the
Central Park Zoo. But since
they scared a few, they didn't
make it past 1926.
1945 first TV appearance for
the parade.
1000+ cheerleaders
800 clowns running around
12 marching bands.
But the REAL headliner is
SANTA CLAUS!!!
The Christmas season begins
for me, when I see Santa!!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
~Keep on Dreaming~

Monday, November 22, 2010

Holiday Decor

Hello- My name is Melinda and I'm a "Holiday Horder." AND I'm darn proud of it! Yesterday I spent several hours organizing and reorganizing our holiday totes. I even had to buy two more big ones. We have more holiday decorations than anyone really needs BUT... one never knows what they'll use from year to year. Right???? I don't decorate the same each year, there are different combos, arrangements and some things are put in an entirely different place. Now some of you are probably thinking--"why not get rid of some of the stuff?" In reality that would work but some of the things came with me from home when I moved over here and some of it, Ken and I have accumulated ourselves. There are those wonderful garage sales to blame also. What to do?? I don't know. I do know that I have a lot I can choose from to decorate for our holidays! Happy decorating! ~Keep on Dreaming~

Thursday, November 18, 2010

A Question???????????

Today's question-----
Why do we wait till the last
minute, when guests are
coming or a holiday is around
the corner to do "projects?"
I'm sure it's part of being
human but why do we stress
ourselves like this? I ask
you this my friends.
~Keep on Dreaming~

Sunday, November 14, 2010

I'm under the weather with the sniffles, be back soon. ~Keep on Dreaming~

Thursday, November 11, 2010

REMEMBER

To ALL the Heros of
any war/s fought,
THANK YOU!
We appreciate every-
thing you do/have done
for us and our country.
+++++++++++++++++
Ken and I know several
who have served in the
military.
My Dad--vet
Ken's Dad--vet
Dean-friend--vet
Dan--friend--vet
David--friend--still active
Rod--friend--vet
Randy--friend--vet
Mike-friend--still active
+++++++++++++++++++
Please pray for all our active
and non active military folks
AND their families!
~Keep on Dreaming~

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Leftovers

It's BACK!!!! Sunday Savor ************** Today we have a really easy recipe for soup/stew to enjoy. So pull up a chair and relax. ***************************** Vegetable Soup/Stew **from my kitchen** 1 lb of stew meat 2 small cans of tomato sauce-no salt added Seasoning of your choice- I used McCormick's Salt Free Garlic and Herb 6-8 new potatoes 6-8 baby carrots cut in half 3/4 pkg of frozen corn 1 can of green beans-50% less salt 1 small can of sweet peas Cook meat in a medium boil until slightly tender. Add tomato sauce to the pan-- Cook for a minute or two so flavors start to blend. Use your seasoning at this time or when you begin cooking the meat. Clean, cut up and add the potatoes to the pot, cook until midway tender. Add the carrots and corn. Bring to a slight boil and let cook till carrots are slightly tender and the corn has had time to thaw and cook. When everything has melded together add the beans and peas. When these finish cooking serve and enjoy!
Yum!!!---leftovers for lunch.

~Keep on Dreaming~

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Soooo Many Questions.....

Today's post is full of questions
which stems from me changing
my purse AND wallet yesterday.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
1--Do you change your purse daily,
seasonally or whenever?
2--Does your wallet match your
purse? ie: red purse/red wallet
3--What size is your purse? Big,
medium or small?
4--Do you like shoulder straps or
prefer to carry on your arm?
5--Last but not least--Do your carry
basic essentials or everything plus
the kitchen sink in your purse?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
I change my purse AND wallet--yes
wallet too-- seasonally or when/if
I tire of what I'm carrying. If need
be I'll put necessities in a small
"dress-up" purse when the occasion
calls for it.
Yes, my wallet goes with my purse--
red/red. I feel it is the same as
having your purse match your daily
outfit and I work with a bunch of
women who do this. I don't have time
or the patience to change my purse
daily.
Currently my purse is probably
considered medium in size. A
few years ago I had to stop carrying
the largest bag I could, because it
was hurting my shoulders and
causing back pain.
I prefer a shoulder strap/s
over carrying on my arm. That
to me is inconvenient and can get
in the way if you are carrying
something else.
I am a basic essential gal due to
the size of purse I'm carrying.
Now don't get me wrong, I make
THE most of any purse I carry
but I have to be sensible too.
++++++++++++++++++++++
I would also tell you about two
other things I carry.
1--A medication list for emergency
purposes. This helps anyone and
yourself if the info is needed.
2--A small paperback telephone
book that I have turned into a
list of books I have read or want
to read. The A-Z pages are used
for each author that I like to read-
ie: M-Macomber, R-Roberts etc.
Having the book has helped me
cut down on multiple notes with
different books on them.
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Have you changed your purse lately?
~Keep on Dreaming~

Monday, November 1, 2010

Today is MY Day!!

As most of you know TODAY is my BIRTHDAY!!! And a lovely one it was. Thank you to those of you who have sent wonderful birthday wishes they have meant a lot to me!!!!
This evening Ken took me to dinner
here: Bravo Cucina. They have the
most delicious food here.
We started off with Spinach dip
and crispy flatbread triangles. OH!
Yum!!!
I ordered the Chicken Parmesan
Milanese. The herbed pasta came
rolled up with the chicken on top
and a red sauce surrounding the
pasta. Sooooooooooo delish!
Ken ordered Mama's Lasagna.
Instead of stacked as a "tower"
it came in a very long oval dish.
Ken said it was delish too.
Both of us also had a green
salad with bacon, cucumbers,
crunchy noodles and a parmesan
dressing.
Dinner ended with this delightful
yummy. Our server brought it
out complete with the candle.
Make a wish.....
Here we have two very happy
AND full people!
Now we are off to do some
"damage" at Bath and Body
Works. One of my fav stores!
Scratcher tickets in my card.
The 2010 White House Ornament.
There are truely beautiful ornaments
that depict different Presidential years.
I have collected several over the last
few years.

Two yummies from a coworker.

So there you have it--My big day.

~Keep on Dreaming~

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