Rainy Saturday

What do you do on a rainy Saturday and it is just a few days before Christmas.  I decided to cook.  I found a sugar cookie recipe on Pinterest  that I decided to give a try   They are amazing.  You can find it here http://addapinch.com/cooking/2013/12/04/chewy-sugar-cookies-recipe/#.UrXi-vRDua5  I was so impressed.  Didn’t know I could make such a delicious cookie.

From cookies, I went to a recipe for rolls.  I thought the Parmesan Pull Apart bread sounded good and they are.  They are flavored with garlic and Parmesan cheese, great for those Italian and French dishes or just a snack.  You can find it here..http://foodapparel.com/parmesan-pull-apart-bread/

I sent off all my Christmas cards last week.  Thank you SendOutCards!!  I had the job done in about 10 minutes.  To learn more about how you can save time and money sending greeting cards, go here  https://www.sendoutcards.com/69473/.  You can check out my Creative Cards  blog at cardpromptings.wordpress.com.  You can send cards for any occasion and you can create your own.

I have been having a lot of fun with my Advent Calendars from Jacquie Lawson at jacquielawson.com.  If you haven’t seen those calendars, you are missing some real Christmas fun.  There is a new activity each day right up to Christmas.  It is awesome to me to see the additions that occur each day in the entry scene.  These computer gurus are just so clever.  Wish I knew how to do some of those things.

Days get busier as Christmas gets closer, so in case I don’t post again before Santa comes, I want to wish you all a

Merry Christmas

 

 

Winter Diamonds

Winter came with a vengeance last week.  My power went off during the night and came back on at noon.  My internet was down until late in the evening.  It started with sleet all day and then most of the night, turning to snow all the next day.  The trees were covered with ice and soon the weight caused limbs to break.  A cedar that lives just across the fence of my back yard collapsed from the top.  I now have a damaged fence.  It required a chain saw to clear the limbs off my fence and storage building.  I now have a pile of limbs in my back yard that will have to wait for a thaw to be moved.

It has been a few days and the temperature has not risen above freezing.  The roads finally cleared enough that I felt safe driving so I made a trip to the store.  It is beautiful out there.  The trees and shrubs are still covered with ice and  the ground is still covered with snow.  The sun was brilliant in a clear sky.  A million diamonds flashed among the limbs of the trees.

I tried to capture it on film but was not successful.  The diamonds just would not show up.  I will just have to carry that scene in my mind.  Maybe I can capture it on canvas.

Are you ready for Christmas?  Have you sent your greeting cards yet?  I can show you how to get those cards off with a lot less labor.  Go to my blog Creative Cards at  http://cardpromptings.wordpress.com/

Backyard Entertainment

Here it is the first of December and it was warmer out this morning than it has been for days.  Belle and I spent a long while on the patio while I had my morning tea.

I have a bird bath sitting on the corner of my patio.  The birds were taking turns coming for a drink.  There are several gutsy mockingbirds that hang out in my back yard.  They don’t worry if I move around a bit.  I have watched them tease my cat and dog, chase squirrels and pick on other birds.  Robins aren’t far behind mockingbirds at being fearless.  They allow me to move arms and head without worry.  There were wrens, cardinals and jays that came this morning.  I was thrilled to have a pair of blue birds come.  They are really shy so I had to be very still.

I love bluebirds.  They are so pretty and their song is so melodious.  It appears they talk to each other.  One year I hung a decorative birdhouse on a limb of my pecan tree.  It was not appropriate for a birdhouse although a couple of sparrows used it later.  The male bluebird flew in and checked it out, then the hen came and looked it over.  They sat for a couple of minutes in the tree warbling back and forth and then flew away.  I took it that she did not approve of his find.  I went right out and purchased a bluebird house and put it up in the back yard. Soon, in flew a male bluebird and looked it over and then came the hen.  She approved and they set to work building the nest.  I even got to see the babies fledging a few weeks later.

It has not always been so wonderful for the bluebirds in my back yard.  One year the female didn’t come home.  The male sat on the fence for days calling for her.  That year the babies died.  Another year a neighbor’s marauding cat killed the hen during the night.  After that it was several years before I had a pair choose that nesting box.  I was thrilled last year when a pair came and stayed.  I don’t know if it is the same pair but one has been hanging out in the back yard.  They are staying near the birdhouse.  They came for a drink this morning.

Books I Love

I know you have heard of Jack London.  He wrote “The Call of the Wild,” ” White Fang,” and other stories based in the north.  I read those two books in my youth. London had the ability to draw you into the story with his words, giving a mental picture of his tale.

Recently, a friend mentioned a story London wrote that I was unaware of.  There is an audio version on YouTube, so I listened to it.  The title is “To Build a Fire.”  This story is based in Alaska/Canada.  It is about a man’s experience traveling on foot in very cold weather.  It is a story you won’t soon forget.  You can listen to it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8WnlrUKsBU or you can download here http://www.jacklondons.net/buildafire.html to read.

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Books I Love

I am a reader.  I always have a book going.  I like mysteries, some sci-fi, fantasy, and some romance.  I also read anything that catches my interest be it history, current events or some scientific article.  I am big on health, healthy eating and natural healing.  I read religious books and of course, the Bible.  I make it a practice to read the Bible through each year.  I have been doing that for a long time. (see my blog http://www.fullfilledprophesy.wordpress.com)

I am a fan of Amazon.  I have a kindle and I can buy a book and be reading it in less than a minute.  I love it.

Thanks to Amazon, I have found some truly wonderful authors.  One that I would like to tell you about today is Michael J. Sullivan and his books “The Riyria Revelations.”  If you like Tolkien, you will love this series.  I can see these books made into a movie.  There is a surprise at the end.  I am anxiously awaiting another book from him of this genre. This would make a great Christmas present.

http://www.amazon.com/Theft-Swords-Revelations-Michael-Sullivan-ebook/dp/B004XWBUKK/ref=la_B002BOJ41O_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1385136796&sr=1-1

He has also written “Hollow World.”  It is more of a sci-fi genre.  It also has a surprise at the end.

 

 

It’s a Blustery Day

This part of the world is offering another blustery day.  The sun is out but the wind is cold.  It is a day for warm clothes and a walk with your significant other.  Mine is my Maltese, Belle.  She loves to go for walks.  All I have to do is pick up her leash and she is heading for the door.

It pays sometime to be an early riser.  I was greeted with another spectacular sunrise this morning.  It is so awesome to see the clouds glow with what appears to be an inner light.

I keep hearing people talk about making money with blogs.  I have been doing a lot of research lately trying to learn about it.   So far everyone is talking over my head.    I need a step by step introduction to see how it is done.

I would like to invite you to look at my other blogs.  Hopefully you will find something to interest you.

Thoughts for Sunday

I was welcomed by another breathtaking sunrise this morning.  The clouds were rimed with brilliant gold on the horizon and the clouds that were higher in the sky appeared to have an inner glow.  it was breathtaking!

The temperature is a warm 74 degrees and a gentle breeze is blowing.  Hard to believe after the freeze we had.  It is balmy out there.  So what am I doing in here?

I saw a documentary the other day about global warming.  I am on the fence about the cause of global warming but there is no doubt the planet is warming up.  I am told the cattle watering tanks in Texas once froze hard enough for ice skating.  Now those tanks might get a glaze of ice for a few hours.  Areas that once received lots of snow that stayed around for most of the winter now only get an occasional snow fall and it only lasts for a few days.  There are wineries being established here in the U.S. in areas where once it was too cold for the grapes.  The summers are hotter and drier most years. The documentary stated that England is developing a name as a wine producing country and olive groves are now flourishing there.  Once upon a time England had cold bitter winters.  The glaciers are receding. Yes, the earth is warming up.  Some scientists are saying it is due to mankind’s activity and that may be so, however, the earth has always gone through heating and cooling cycles.

Mankind is certainly making lots of progress in upsetting the earth’s ecosystem.  Trees take the carbon dioxide out of the air and replace it with oxygen.  Forests are being cleared.  Even in residential yards, trees are removed.  Construction companies clear off the trees to build houses and residents cut trees because they don’t want to clean up the leaf fall.  We keep this up and there won’t be any air to breath.  Water is another issue.  Pollutants are dumped into our waterways.  We use detergents and chemicals that destroy live rivers and streams.  Even the underground reservoirs are polluted.  Did you know that women on HRT are dumping estrogen into the water that is not removed. There is just no source left for clean healthy water.  It’s a wonder we are still alive.

I would like to see us use the wind and sun as our energy source.  The technology is there.  It just needs to be made available to the general public at an affordable price.  If fossil fuel is damaging the earth, we need to stop using it.  We need to be responsible for the home that was created for us.  Our first responsibility given to us  by our Creator was to tend the earth and care for it.  Instead of caring for our home, we have exploited it.

Thoughts for Today

Most of the leaves have fallen from my trees.  The back yard is mostly covered with about 3 inches of leaves.  They come up to Belle’s hocks.  She almost needs to jump to get through them.

It was warmer this morning.  I blew the leaves off the patio with the snow blower.  I drank my tea, listened to the birds and watched Belle patrol the yard.  It was such a pleasant way to start my day.

I have been working on one of my other blogs…http://fullfilledprophesy.wordpress.com.  There is a lot of preparation required to post on it.

Did you forget to send a birthday card to a good friend or relative?  Do you know someone who needs cheering?  Do you have time to go to the store, pick out a card and buy the stamp to mail it, then get it to the post office or mail box? Let me tell you how you can send the cards you know you should in just seconds on line.  You choose from over 15000 cards or make your own.  You write your own meaningful words or use those on the card.  The card can be in your own handwriting.  It will be printed, stuffed in envelope, stamped and mailed, just as if you did it yourself.  If want more information, go to   https://www.sendoutcards.com/69473/   I will be adding more information in future posts.

I have started a blog just for SendOutCards.  This is the URL http://cardpromptings.wordpress.com.  Go there to learn more.

Thanksgiving Spirit

I always complain that the stores have Christmas decorations up sometimes even before Halloween and for sure right after.  Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday and I resent it being relegated to a back seat.  I love the fall colors on the trees and I love to bring those colors indoors.  I love to cook the turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings for the Thanksgiving meal. I love to fill my home with friends and family to share a delicious meal and good conversation while we remember all the blessings we have to be thankful for. We need to take the time to thank Him for all the good things He has done for us.  That is the Thanksgiving spirit.

I never get in the Christmas spirit until after Thanksgiving.  This year I have made a bit of a jump on that.  I received an e-mail from Jacquie Lawson (http://www.jacquielawson.com) advising the new advent calender for 2014 was out.  I bought the 2012 version last year and found it was such a fun activity that I knew I would have to buy it again this year.  Starting on December 1, there is a daily activity to enjoy.  There are new items added each day to amaze you.  It will take you right up to December 25th.  It is fun for both children and adults.  If you have never seen it, I recommend you check it out.  You won’t be sorry.

The Fall of Fall

It was 27 degrees when I got up this morning.  There is a silver frost covering the lawn and the pasture behind my house.  It is lovely.

I have a maple and a pecan in my back yard.  The maple has been dressed in a beautiful golden glow with a bit of orange for trim.  The pecan puts on its green summer dress in the spring and then takes it off with the first freeze.  This morning I watched the leaves from both trees float down.  It reminds me of huge snowflakes drifting down.  I suppose by the end of the day, they will be mostly bare.