Friday, 20 December 2013

God Bless You


I love this print by Trisha Romance
called God Bless you 

Beauty is how you feel inside
and it reflects in your eyes. 
It is not something physical.
~ Sophia Loren ~


The Christmas Song(Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) : Lyrics
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.

Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.

They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.

And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you


The Christmas Song


“Happiness is this. Knowing the value of what we have.”---Banana Yoshimoto




"Let there be a cottage...a real cottage...a white cottage, embowered with flowering shrubs, so chosen as to unfold a succession of flowers upon the walls, and clustering round the windows through all the months of spring, summer, and autumn~ beginning, in fact, with May roses, and ending with jasmine.  Let it, however, not be spring, nor summer, nor autumn~but winter...Surely every body is aware of the divine pleasures which attend a winter fireside: candles at four o'clock, warm hearth-rugs, tea, a fair tea-maker, shutters closed, curtains flowing in ample draperies on the floor, whilst the wind and rain are raging audibly without..." Thomas De Quincey 

Beautiful quote from my lovely friends blog

http://seacottage.blogspot.ca/

Thank you


“THERE IS A STORY OF A WOMAN RUNNING AWAY FROM TIGERS. SHE RUNS AND RUNS AND THE TIGERS ARE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER. WHEN SHE COMES TO THE EDGE OF A CLIFF, SHE SEES SOME VINES THERE, SO SHE CLIMBS DOWN AND HOLDS ON TO THE VINES. LOOKING DOWN, SHE SEES THAT THERE ARE TIGERS BELOW HER AS WELL. SHE THEN NOTICES THAT A MOUSE IS GNAWING AWAY AT THE VINE TO WHICH SHE IS CLINGING. SHE ALSO SEES A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE BUNCH OF STRAWBERRIES CLOSE TO HER, GROWING OUT OF A CLUMP OF GRASS. SHE LOOKS UP AND SHE LOOKS DOWN. SHE LOOKS AT THE MOUSE. THEN SHE JUST TAKES A STRAWBERRY, PUTS IT IN HER MOUTH, AND ENJOYS IT THOROUGHLY. TIGERS ABOVE, TIGERS BELOW. THIS IS ACTUALLY THE PREDICAMENT THAT WE ARE ALWAYS IN, IN TERMS OF OUR BIRTH AND DEATH. EACH MOMENT IS JUST WHAT IT IS. IT MIGHT BE THE ONLY MOMENT OF OUR LIFE; IT MIGHT BE THE ONLY STRAWBERRY WE’LL EVER EAT. WE COULD GET DEPRESSED ABOUT IT, OR WE COULD FINALLY APPRECIATE IT AND DELIGHT IN THE PRECIOUSNESS OF EVERY SINGLE MOMENT OF OUR LIFE.” —PEMA CHÖDRÖN


ღﻬஐﻬღ 
“When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” 
~ Paulo Coelho


While earning your daily bread, be sure you share a slice with those less fortunate.
~Quoted in
P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kim-john-payne/the-holiday-season-puttin_b_789821.html

A good article to read about the holidays


Thursday, 19 December 2013

It's coming on Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpFudDAYqxY

It's coming on Christmas
Joni Mitchell


Good morning dear family and friends. Happy Thursday. Have a wonderful day and smile and let your light shine!! God Bless. 


˚°◦.¸˜҈.For Attractive lips, 
speak words of kindness.
˚°◦.¸˜҈.For lovely eyes, 
seek out the good in people.
˚°◦.¸˜҈.For a slim figure, 
share your food with the hungry.
˚°◦.¸˜҈.For beautiful hair,
let a child run their fingers through it once a day.
˚°◦.¸˜҈. For poise,
walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. "
~ Sam Levenson˜҈. ˚°◦







YOU make my heart ☼SMILE☼
* ჱܓ♥ *
(¯`•.•´¯)
*`•.¸(¯`•.•´¯)¸.•´
`•.¸.•´  ჱܓ♥*“
 




Time was with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to miss or seek; bound together all our home enjoyments, affections, and hopes; grouped everything and everyone round the Christmas fire, and make the little picture shining in our bright young eyes, complete. 
- Charles Dickens





(¯`♥´¯)
.`•.¸.•´.Christmas cookies and hot cocoa.•♡•*¨`*•♡•*¨`*•♡•






Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall." Larry Wilde , The Merry Book of Christmas. 


"In the eyes of children we find the joy of Christmas. In their hearts we find its meaning.”

~ Author: Leland Thomas~




Jesus is the reason of the Season



Wednesday, 18 December 2013

Present Not Presents

When we focus less on the presents and more on simply being present, beautiful shifts begin to happen for us and the people we love





As we get older we realize the prescence has far more meaning
than presents.

We don't need Christmas in our hands
we need to share the spirit of Christmas which is love


I can't think of anything I'd rather have more than somebody lovin' me.”

― Sue Monk Kidd, The Secret Life of Bees


Reflecting on the meaning of Christmas, Pope Francis urged the faithful "not to place ourselves above others, but rather lower ourselves, place ourselves at the service of the poor, make ourselves small and poor with them." http://abcn.ws/18yu8da

.˛.° ˛°. . ˛_██_*"Hope is like snow.. it beautifies all it covers。 ˛ (´• ̮•)*˛° with magical possibilities."~.¸¸.☆ ❉ .°( . • . ) *(...'•'.. )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYVz6HHtb9w

We'll take a cup of kindness yet





Christmas is joy...an inner joy of light and peace." - Pope Francis.



Tuesday, 17 December 2013

The Candy Cane

✿•*¨`*•. (ˆ◡ˆ) (ˆ◡ˆ) .•*¨`*•✿
Do you know what a "Candy Cane Really is"? Why do we only see them at Christmastime? Many years ago a candy maker wanted to make candy that would symbolize the true meaning of Christmas- Which is "Jesus". The hard candy was shaped like a " J " for Jesus and to represent that Jesus is our rock of all ages. The candy was white, that stands for the pureness of Jesus, and the red represents the blood that Jesus shed to save us from our sins. So the next time you see a candy cane, take a minute to remember the real meaning of 'Christmas'.  Jesus is the reason for the season!  True story. 

Story as seen on Facebook


Monday, 16 December 2013

Owl you Need is Love


,-, * ´`'*°★ ´`'*°★ ´`'*°★
/.( (͡๏̯͡๏) ´`'*°★
\ { ( , ,)
`-`★.¸¸. •°*”˜☽☆* ✲♥☽´`'*°★ ´`'*°★
´`'*°★




Owl you need is love

Owl love you forever Dani

Thank you for this very sweet owl creation.

Merry Christmas my lovely friend



,-, * ´`'*°★ ´`'*°★ ´`'*°★
/.( (͡๏̯͡๏) ´`'*°★
\ { ( , ,)
`-`★.¸¸. •°*”˜☽☆* ✲♥☽´`'*°★ ´`'*°★
´`'*°★



Mexican Bean Dip  (Recipe of my Sister)

1 can of corn
1 can of lentils
1 can of black beans
1 can mixed bean medley
1 can white kidney beans

1 chopped green pepper
1-2 bunches green onion, chopped
1 bottle of catalina dressing not the low cal kind

Drain and rinse all beans

Mix with Dressing

Let sit for 24 hours

Enjoy

Kiss the cook often and season everything with love

*•.¸('*•.¸(¨*•.¸♥¸.•*¨)¸.•*')¸.•*¨)*•.¸('*•.¸(¨*•..•*')¸.•*
"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and we are 
better throughout the year because we became children again
during Christmas time." ~ Laura Wilder

Cherish the memories. ~ I may not have all my family here for Christmas, some have passed away and some live so far away but I am thankful for everyone of them and the memories of Christmas when we were all together. Cherish those.   Cherish your blessings and always remember the true meaning of Christmas


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkpiRikpu4o#t=78

Lark Rise to Candleford Christmas edition

Thanks dear Shelley for posting this



The Farmer and the mouse


A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

“What food might this contain?” the mouse wondered. He was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning: “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap
in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no
consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”

The mouse turned to the pig and told him “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The pig sympathized, but said “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”

The mouse turned to the goat and said “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!” The goat said “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house – like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the
farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many! people came for her funeral, the farmer had the goat slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember: when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life.


Snow Covers Egypt for First Time in 112 Years




Sunday, 15 December 2013

Soulful Sunday

⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ✰ ⋯
⋰ ⋮ ⋱
….| _▄▄_
….|.(◑ჴ◑)
….|..▶★◀
…↺(_____)↺“Sometimes our light goes out,
….|(______) ⋰⋱but is blown again into instant flame
★ ⋰⋱ ★ ⋰⋱ ★ ⋰⋱by an encounter with another human being.”
Albert Schweitzer★ ⋰⋱ ★Always Shine, your light...Peace `☮´


Have a soulful Sunday

Much love and many blessings

https://www.facebook.com/jeanne.caron.737/posts/10153579366195144?comment_id=45120140&offset=0&total_comments=5

Led Zeppelin kind of day


*。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。May you have the gladness of Christmas,
**˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ which is hope.The spirit of Christmas,
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ღ ღ which is peace and the heart of 
Christmas, which is love. ~ Ada V. Hendricks


\

Lovely photograph sent to me by my dear friend Anita

Full moon rises over Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil


*•.¸('*•.¸(¨*•.¸♥¸.•*¨)¸.•*')¸.•*¨)*•.¸('*•.¸(¨*•..•*')¸.•* Good morning  everyone. May the joy of the season fill your heart with goodwill and cheer." Hugs always! ♥♥


★˛˚˛*˛°.˛*.˛°˛.*★˚˛*˛°.˛*.˛°˛.*★*★* 。*˛.
˛° _██_*.。*./ \ .˛* .˛。.˛.*.★* *★ 。*
˛. (´• ̮•)*.。*/♫.♫\*˛.* ˛_Π_____. ˛* ˛*
.°( . • . ) ˛°./• '♫ ' •\.˛*./______/~\*. ˛*.。˛* ˛.*。
*(...'•'.. ) *˛╬╬╬╬╬˛°.|田田 |門|╬╬╬╬╬*˚ .˛ ...







Saturday, 14 December 2013

Soup Recipe

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. Italian sausages (use spicy to get that signature Olive Garden flavor)
4-6 russet potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. REAL bacon pieces (optional)
2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)
32 oz. chicken broth
1 c. kale or Swiss chard, chopped
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 Tbsp flour

1. Brown sausage links in a sauté pan.
2. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut slices.
3. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat.
4. Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft.

30 minutes before serving:
5. Mix flour into cream removing lumps.
6. Add cream and kale to the crock pot, stir.
7. Cook on high 30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly.
8. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

Recipe shared by my lovely cousin Wendy who has moved into their new place in Upper Michigan............
Life is a series of new beginnings................

Have a super Saturday


"A chubby little snowman had a carrot nose,
Along came a bunny and what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny looking for a lunch
Ate that snowman's nose, nibble, nibble, crunch!"


Photograph and verse as seen on Facebook
on New Moon Cottage

Thank you 


Family is not an important thing, it's everything.
~Michael J. Fox