Last day of November...

So...it's the last day of November and there are 25 days till Christmas.  I know I'm going to sit at the end of the month and say where did the time go??  This week has felt like a gift of time between Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. (or Holiday season if you celebrate other things...lol)
Our lives have been so busy that it's been nice to have a little less stress going on.  I'm almost done with Nano - less than a thousand words to go, so no biggy.  We haven't decorated our house yet, but that's the plan for tomorrow.  We have decided to do a 12 days of Christmas for someone, and I haven't figured that out yet...  So it's not really going to slow down in any meaningful way, but I'm hoping we get snow.  I hope November has been a good month for you and yours, and that you welcome the holiday season with joy and thanksgiving.  If you haven't heard about it already, the church is sponsoring a Light the World campaign again this year.  It's kind of fun, it's different from the past years in that it's focusing on weeks at a time, instead of individual days.  Here's a link to download the calendar...  I hope you have a wonderful season full of giving and serving.

But for today - the end of the turkey season, it's still a time of family and reflection of blessings.  I know that I am so very blessed - and I am so thankful for all I've been given.  I never thought I'd be where I am 35 years ago. It's amazing!!  My husband has been trying to download the tapes we sent each other on his mission. (you know, cassette tapes??)  It's funny to hear our voices back then and hear how young we sound!  It's us...but different.  He's only been able to do 3 tapes, but it was funny how just mentioning something reminded me of what was happening, and how exciting a time that was.  He'd given me a stuffed basset hound with a heart in it's mouth.  My first thought was what had happened to that??  I can still see that in my mind...  It's been wonderful to reflect on my life with this man and how much I love him.  He's the one on the left, lol.

Well...so - there are only a couple of fun things for today.  First - Stay home from work because your well day - I think all of us could do this!!  I'd love to be home today and get so many things done!  If our bosses would all agree to the use of sick leave, it would be awesome, right??  lol.

and it's also National Mousse day.  Who doesn't love mousse??  Well...I guess there might be some that don't like it, but I love it!!  So...go celebrate being home in your jammies by whipping up some mousse, sitting in front of the fire with a good book and enjoying the day!!

On a side note...Sunday is the start of Hanukkah, and since I won't be writing a blog, I thought I'd share my favorite song of the season.  :)


and guess what...they made another one!!  This is awesome!  The Latke recipe!!  This is going to be a new favorite!! lol


have a great weekend!!

Happy hump day!!

It's Wednesday, and boy...I'm not sure it could get any busier!!  For some reason the contemplation that we have almost four full weeks of work till Christmas is a depressing thought.  I've resolved not to think of it like that again...I just need to go one day at a time.  :)

So - today is midweek, hump day, and a great day!!  Not much by way of celebrations, but I'm going to share a joke someone left in a workroom this morning that made us all chuckle...

Two sisters, one blonde and one brunette, inherit the family ranch.  Unfortunately, after just a few years, they are in financial trouble.  In order to keep the bank from repossessing the ranch, they  need to purchase a bull so that they can breed their own stock.

Upon leaving, the brunette tells her sister, "When I get there, if I decide to buy the bull, I'll contact you to drive out after me and haul it home."

The brunette arrives at the man's ranch, inspects the bull, and decides she wants to buy it.  The man tells her that he will sell it for $599, no less.

After paying him, she drives to the nearest town to send her sister a telegram to tell her the news.  She walks into the telegraph office, and says, "I want to send a telegram to my sister telling her that I've bought a bull for our ranch.  I need her to hitch the trailer to our pickup truck and drive out here so we can haul it home."

The telegraph operator explains that he'll be glad to help her, then adds, it will cost .99 cents a word.

Well, after paying for the bull, the brunette realizes that she'll only be able to send her sister one word.  After a few minutes of thinking, she nods and says, "I want you to send her the word 'comfortable'."

The operator shakes his head.  "How is she ever going to know that you want her to hitch the trailer to your pickup truck and drive out here to haul that bull back to your ranch if you send her just the word 'comfortable'?"

The brunette explains, "My sister's blonde.  The word is big.  She'll read it very slowly...

"Com-for-da-bul."

😊   Did that give you a chuckle for the day??

on a side note - it's National French Toast Day!  I like that idea...  that makes dinner easy...  😊  What's your favorite french toast?  I love sourdough...and while powdered sugar is nice, I like syrup and butter...  I'm not a big fan of Texas toast...whole wheat stuff is good for me. 

I did find out an interesting bit of trivia...  it's not named French toast for the nation, it's named that from a restaurant owner from 1700's who's name was French and he was advertising them.  Did you know it's been around in some form or another since the Romans???  wow...  and you thought it was an American thing, lol.

It's also Rockefeller Tree Lighting - do you watch that?  I never have, but I guess it's a big deal back there.  Here's the link if you're interested... For some people it's the lights that makes the start of the Christmas Season.  :)

Have a great day!!

And Onward to the Season!!!

So hopefully you all had a marvelous Thanksgiving weekend, ate too much, had lots of yummy pie, and spent lots of time with family!!  I know I did.  It was a hectic weekend as well, going to a movie with grandkids...having dinners with family...getting prepped for tonight's booth - but I got lots of cards ready and most of my 12 days of Christmas settled.  I only have one that I don't really like...  oh well.  It's gonna be cold, but I found two heaters that a neighbor is letting me borrow...  hopefully we'll be good!!

So... to get this week off and going, I thought I'd share the couple of things I found:

Cider Monday -  Everyone knows it's Cyber Monday...but did you know it was also Cider Monday??  That's right!  Apparently, to fight the big online push of cyber Monday, local businesses are still wanting to promote people purchasing from them.  I was all excited thinking we were going to celebrate one of my favorite drinks.  Apple cider...  sigh.  Oh well - however you want to celebrate it, no one else has to know, right?  I like the idea of spiced Apple Cider...curling up in front of the fire...  Or maybe coming out to the Stroll Kaysville and freezing your butt off while drinking free hot cocoa and eating free doughnuts and buying my prints...  :)   That's always good!  Just think of a large mug of cider...


Cyber Monday - and of course we all know about Cyber Monday now.  I think it's kind of crazy...just another day that celebrates buying and selling.  It reminds me of A Christmas Carol and (the movie with George C. Scott) they are going through the market on Christmas day.  Scrooge comments that there's a lot of buying going on...  The spirit of Christmas present informs him it's not about the buying, its about the preparation for family and friends.  However, I think there is a little too much focus on the buying...  I think we could all stand to go back to an old fashioned Christmas where everyone has to make a gift for their family.  Something that takes and time, not just running out to the store...  don't get me wrong - I know that shopping in an of itself can be an art. and an important part of the gift giving.  But I think we get too caught up in that rat race.
Studio C has an excelent little skit on this day, lol:


National Cake Day  - so, after all the pies this last weekend (which were soooo good!!)  perhaps you're tired of pie and want cake!  I mean, who doesn't like cake either, right?  My hubby made a yummy pumpkin roll yesterday that we will probably have tonight (as he made 2), so I'm set.  How about you??  Want to make cake??  lol

Have a great Monday!!


 

Happy Monday! And Thanksgiving week...

It's a new day - a new week, and the holiday's are starting!!  For those of us who look forward to this time of year, it's awesome.  😊  for those of you who dread it, I'm soooo sorry!!  It will all be over in about six weeks...  take some valium, drink lots of hot chocolate and listen to your favorite music, binge watch the Terminator and you'll make it through.  😈

So, today there were just three things I wanted to mention:

Rocky and Bullwinkle Day - how many of you remember these two??  I remember watching them on Saturday morning.  They were one of the more sillier cartoons, lol.

The attempt at a movie was a trifle disappointing, although Brendan Fraser did a good job.  😊  

and a little side note - soap box -  It's kind of strange when you think about it...the old cartoons that I grew up with were better in some ways than what they have on now, and yet, there were bad stuff about them too.  I have a hard time watching Road Runner ones because the coyote is always getting hurt, and the Mikey Mouse one's aren't much better...  there were always someone being bullied, or beat up, or buildings falling on them.  Ever watched the new little short called "Get a Horse" ??  The saving grace was that they were obviously cartoon, not trying to be anything else.  sigh.  Okay - off the soap box, and onto positive.  :)

World Toilet Day - I have to say that I think this was one of the best inventions ever.  Even an out house was better than trying to find a tree (anyone go camping where they had to dig their own???)  And indoor plumbing was an even more wonderful idea!!  I can't imagine having to run to an outhouse in the middle of a blizzard!!  UGH.  Or pouring rain...  Can we all praise running water and indoor bathrooms??  YES! 
and so...to celebrate the invention of the toilet...we'll share a poo pouri commercial... lol   I remember when I first saw these, I couldn't believe they were for real...  But, they are.  My sister has them in her cabin down at Fish Lake, lol.  Personally, I think bathroom windows were the second invention that was wise... 😊

national Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day - and last, for those of you who love their beverages...especially those like my brother who pretty much have Pepsi for blood... lol - here's your day.  Here's to you!!  Go make a run and grab your beverage of choice and toast to life.  It's all good!!  😊

Have a great day, and wonderful Thanksgiving!!  

Friday Dance!!

Hi everyone!  Hope you are all happy and relaxed, because it's FRIDAY!  My poor hubby was asking if it was Friday on Wednesday morning.  It's been a long week, right?  And next week is the awesome short week full of family, fun and food!!  sigh. 

And the start to the Christmas holidays!!  I'm really looking forward to them this year - not sure why, but I'm not fighting it.  I'm excited.  I almost wanted to listen to Christmas music today...but I'm holding off till after Thanksgiving.  I know I'll be tired of it before Christmas if I don't, lol.  When do you start?  I was in a classroom yesterday and the teacher was playing holiday music - I was torn between thinking it was awesome and yelling, but it's not Thanksgiving yet!! :)  I know...it's hopeless.

Well...  There was some fun stuff yesterday, but I simply ran out of time and didn't get it posted.  There was something about love to write, (which you already know I do, NANO!!) and clean out your fridge day, but they all seemed old and not exciting.  Today there isn't really much other than it's National Fast Food day... (which I know isn't hard for anyone to celebrate, lol...
so you just have this... 

Snoop Snoopy GIF from Snoop GIFs

Got to love Snoopy...
So anyway - hope you have a great weekend.  :)

It's been a 100 years... and other thoughts

Happy Monday!  Veterans Day! Week before Thanksgiving!  5 weeks before Christmas!  The first day of the rest of your life!  lol  Is that enough to get excited for the day?  I'm trying...  there isn't much to say about what other people want to celebrate today, so I'll keep it short.  :)

Chicken Soup For The Soul Day - I found this on the brownielocks site and the Nibble - so go figure.  It's not about the soup, it's about the book and I guess how Chicken Soup is good for what ails you, chicken soup for the soul is good for your mental and spiritual strength.  What are your thoughts?  :)  I kind of look at the series of books like the ones I grew up on in California ...I can't even remember what the titles are, but they were inspirational thoughts and stories and there about five volumes of them that everyone who was a member of the church would use for talks.  :)  Chicken Soup for the Soul is basically just trying to find inspiration for anyone about anything...I've seen them for dogs, cats, military, single parent, yada yada.  I'm sure they've brought a lot of comfort to the world.  Which one have you read the most?

Veteran's Day - this was 100 years ago yesterday, it's amazing to think that WWI, the war to end all wars, was ended 100 years ago.  Has mankind learned from it's past?  Apparently not...we had WWII, and then several 'smaller' wars since then.  I think the world owes the military people all for how they have rescued us from ourselves.  From the governments that order their use, and the civilians that have been (mostly) protected from harm.  If you know a vet, this is the day (well, yesterday was the day) to thank them for all they did.  If you need a way to commemorate it as a family, there are a couple of movies that would be good.  If you haven't seen Hacksaw Ridge, I highly recommend it.  Just remember it's a war movie and it's directed by Mel Gibson - it's graphic like Saving Private Ryan.
I also want to mention my own father and Grandfather...they both served in the military.  I know I've mentioned before that my father was an Army Ranger, 2nd Btln.  His is the unit you see in Saving Private Ryan, though none of the characters portrayed are supposed to be him.  I still don't know how anyone survived that.

My grandfather was in the Navy, and while I never heard any of his story, I'm sure there was something to tell.  All the more encouragement to keep a journal, people!  Just saying... 

I suppose I should mention my oldest son.  He doesn't read my blog, and we hardly ever see him and I'm not sure he was ever proud to be in uniform, but he was an Army Reservist, and served in a small capacity.  He likes to claim the advantages whenever he can, but he wasn't thrilled to be in it, that I remember.  sigh.  I hope he remembers that he followed in the footsteps of great examples to be there...  We were proud of him for the effort he put forth.  His brothers were very proud of him.


Here's a musical tribute for the day...

 

National Pizza with Everything (but anchovies) day - seriously, I think there is more than one pizza celebration in the year, but I'm not complaining.  It's like the whole doughnut thing - who complains about more than one day devoted to pizza??  I'm not sure why anchovies are even a thing...I've never had one, though we had to keep them stocked for people that DID like them on their pizza when we owned our pizza restaurant.  We even still have a couple of cans left - or did we finally throw them out??  I'm not sure how long canned anchovies are good for, are you??  😜

Well...so that's the thoughts for the day.  Hopefully you have a great one!

Happy Thursday!

I know...who is ever excited about Thursday??  But hey, it's one day closer to the weekend, the middle of the week is past, and it's an all around good day!  So, happy Thursday to you.  So...in looking at Brownielocks site, there was only one thing that caught my attention.

Today is Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day.  Well...that got the imagination going.  What's considered pungent??  Is that just something wonderfully aromatic?  Or is it a strong, perhaps not necessarily pleasing smell?
Well, it immediately brought to mind a skit Studio C did a couple weeks ago that covers this very same subject...

It's so funny...Stephen actually cracks.  :)

According to Nibble, it's also National Cappuccino day...so if you're a coffee lover, there ya go.  :)  I was talking to a new teacher yesterday that moved here from Arizona, and she was like - "no one drinks coffee here.  They all drink soda!"  I had to laugh, because the soda thing has totally popped up in the last what - five to eight years?  I mean, most everyone used to just buy soda at the stores, or at 7-11, right?  but now you have Fizz, Sodalicious, Twisted Sugar, Sonic has a small little neighborhood thing that focuses on soda, etc.  It's crazy.  I can't believe the amount of money people spend on it.  But - I was thinking there's still Starbucks in almost every Smiths - let along at least one per city...Grounds for Coffee...and lots of little tiny huts that have the roasted bean.  My daughter drinks coffee, and my granddaughter thinks we're strange because we don't, although she does like the hot chocolate we'll give her instead.  I can't imagine her hyped up on caffeine...  it's like the kid out of Iron Giant...

right?  lol

Personally, I like hot chocolate, and Postum or Pero.  You can add flavors and spices to Postum and Pero just like coffee, and I think it's awesome.  My hubby and I thought about opening up a postum/hot cocoa book store one time...but realized it wouldn't be very popular.  We'd never know if the coffee was made right... lol

Well...have an awesome Thursday!

oh, and PS - in case you hadn't noticed, I changed the name of my blog - again.  What can I say...it needed something.  :)

Happy Monday!

Everyone one around me seems a bit down in the mouth today... so I figured I needed a bright spot in the clouds...  ;)

I don't know why it's easy for me to sometimes be happy or cheerful when things aren't necessarily that way, but I find that is my general state, and I'm thankful for it.  Sometimes I'm amazed by the multiplicity of my blessings.  I understand from Facebook peoples, that November is Gratitude month - big surprise, lol.  So, I'm expressing my gratitude.  I have been richly blessed my life, and I know it's all due to the Lord's hand in my life.






This is the main reason for all my current blessings...this wonderful man who loves me and wants to spend his life with me.  He's such a cutie!!

All of these blessings started in one place...the Temple of the Lord.  He has so richly blessed me.

  I hope that you are able to count your blessings today so that you can see the depth of Heavenly Father's love for you.  Even if it's just the fact that you are alive when so many are dying...  Or if you have food when others are starving.  Do you have family?  Do you have close friends?  Do you have electricity and running water?  The blessing of eyesight or hearing?  The ability to read and see the world around you?? 

This is my favorite time of the year.  I love fall.  I've probably expressed that before, lol.  But I do.  The richness of the colors, the amazing variety of the color in the trees.  It's amazing.  To me, it's just another testament to the creations of a loving Heavenly Father.  He knew that we would desire color and variety in our lives.

So - for those of you who need a little brightenss this morning, I'm sharing one of my favorite music videos, that you've seen on here several times, by the Piano Guys.



and then some fun thoughts:
Today is National Doughnut Day - again??  I guess there are various different ways to celebrate doughnuts.  Last week was Buy a Doughnut...this week is doughnut day.  I like doughnuts!  I think I'll bake some this time though...  :)  


It's also Fill your stapler day - heaven only knows what it would be like if you didn't have someone reminding you to fill your stapler, right??  I mean...if I only had to fill it once a year??  that would be amazing!  (I know...sarcasm reigneth...)

It's National Play Monopoly Day - and if we didn't have work tomorrow, that would be fun.  Does it always take hours when you play??  UGH.  I've gotten to where I just don't like to play because my hubby always wins and I'm always broke.  ;)  At least we have a cute Peanut's version though...  How many different sets do you have??  I think we have Peanuts, original and Lord of the Rings...

So - hopefully you can find the blessings in your life - something that makes you happy and smile on this gorgeous fall day.  I know I have.  Take care!

Friday dance

I'm doing the Friday Dance! 

Are you?

It's been such a crazy week! I'm totally looking forward to taking care of the everyday mundane things that haven't been done for weeks...like mop my kitchen floor (UGH) and do laundry, fold clothes, go grocery shopping...  I don't know, maybe I don't want to have the weekend, lol.
So...since yesterday was kind a long list of stuff - today is great!  There are only a couple, and I have to share because they're fun.

Cookie Monster Birthday -  I might have already shared this clip, but it's so fun, I'm sure you'll like to see it again.  Who doesn't love cookie monster??  I mean, who doesn't love cookies???  And Cookie Monster is the man! er...Monster.  :)

National Deviled Eggs Day - I know there are some that don't like deviled eggs, but I'm not one of them.  I have one son that detests them...won't even eat them in potato salad or touch egg salad and one that loves them - would eat a whole plate if you let him. How did we get such a diverse family???  Anyway - I love deviled eggs, and heard of doing them with avocado.  I'm going to definitely try those today.  How about you?  What's your favorite Deviled egg recipe?

Fountain Pen Day - So, this day was started in 2012 to promote handwriting skills.  Kind of sat that we have to promote things because ability is not being taught...pursued or practiced.  I love calligraphy, and would use a fountain pen all the time if I didn't have to deal with leaks, running out, or waiting for something to dry...  sigh.  Otherwise, I think they're awesome!

And apparently this was school counselor appreciation week...at least down south - and our favorite youtube principal was at it again - thought you'd enjoy this.  :)


Well, Hope you have a great weekend!