Grandpa's Famous Sayings

Who died and left you boss?

George Engel                                                                   

 

 

On my dad's birthday, I think it's only appropriate to post one of his famous sayings.  When we thought we knew everything, we were acting too bossy, we were disagreeable, or we put ourselves above someone else, my dad would always say "Who died and left you boss?"

 

A man of much wisdom, he taught us so much, including how to humble ourselves. He touched so many lives, always taking in someone who was less fortunate or needed a helping hand, yet keeping his family the center of his life.

 

Laughter was common in our house.  He loved to tease us all endlessly, while, at the same time, guiding us with a firm hand.  When his hand hit the table, everyone was quiet!  Even then, we were allowed to question so we understood, and we were never put down.  He knew how to correct a bad behavior without saying an unkind word.

 

From him, I learned to be compassionate and nurturing.  Someone always needs a helping hand or a kind word at some time in their life.  People respond more to kind words then put downs.  I believe this is where I got "There's a nice way to say everything, and a way to say everything nice", but I don't remember him saying this exact quote.

 

For his grandchildren - a little background.  Grandpa grew up in a family that helped other family members during the Great Depression, teaching him to be giving.  He had a tough father, so he learned to be the opposite, a very caring father.

 

I miss you, dad, and try to live my life by the example you set.  Happy Birthday!

 

Easy Recipe

This salad was a common dish in my childhood home.  It's especially good with any roast (so you can dip your meat in it).

Dad's Favorite Salad

Head of Lettuce - cored and chopped into bite size pieces
Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
A little Milk
Garlic and Onion Salt

Add mayonnaise and sour cream - as much as you would add for dressing.  Add a little milk to thin out the mayonnaise and sour cream mixture.  Season with garlic and onion salt to taste.  Toss with lettuce.  Sooo good!

Love you,
Aunt Janet

Family

Friends will come and go, but family is forever.



George Engel aka "Dad" "Unk"

 

Dedicated to Aunt Judy who likes my blog and the rest of my family

 

Family is made up of a composite of individuals, all connected by a common link - being together either by birth or marriage.  The Google definition is "all the descendants of a common ancestor".  Today, this doesn't always hold true.

 

What is family to me?  One word - love.  Who is always there for you?  Who will be there when you are born, when you marry, when you get old?  Who will always love you, but sometimes hates you?  Who touches your heart with the inner most joy or the deepest anger?  Who will you laugh with and cry with?  Who do you try to grow up to be not like, but end up being just like?  Who knows your deepest secrets and will keep them secret except with other family members?  Who will come together and bury you - no matter what?  Your family.  It's a kind of unconditional love.

 

I read a book recently where one person remembers growing up in a very negative family until he is reminded by another cousin of all the fun and love that was shared in their very dysfunctional family.  Someone who remembered being picked on as a kid was reminded of being so close that they were inseparable. 

 

Is any family perfect?  I have never met anyone that thought their family was totally perfect.  There's an aunt who ran off with the milk man and a uncle who farted all the time.  A dad with an addiction and a cousin who married an alien.  I could go on and on.  Every family is dysfunctional in some way (and more dysfunctional if they don't admit it).  Why?  Because we are all human - no one is perfect, even you or me.  We all have our positive and negative traits, and most of them were learned from guess who? - our family.

 

Today was our youngest member's first birthday party.  There will be more after her, and the family will continue to grow.  She will always have us around her.  I already see her mom's characteristics.  She will learn from you and me - all of us.  Each newcomer, whether by birth or marriage, has to know that, no matter what, you are part of our family.  We will love you and hate you, rejoice with you and get madder than a wet hen when you look at us cross-eyed.  You are special, and you will always be special to us.  We need to pass on our love, no matter how crazy, to the young.

 

So, since we are all stuck together for the rest of our life, whether we like it or not, as dad and grandpa always said "Friends will come and go, but family is forever."  So, instead of just dealing with it, make the most out of it!  Cherish and love us for all our unique, wacky, weird, and positive traits!  We love you!

 

Love you,

Aunt Janet aka "Janet" "Jan" "AJ" "Jagnes Ann" "Smarty Pants"

 

 

 

 

 

Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas Poem

Holy Bishop St. Nicholas lived faraway

Near the Aegean Sea is where Turkey did lay.

Travel back with us now to a time long ago.

We will visit his country, his life we will know.

We remember this saint, such a holy, good man.

Be like him in charity, do all that you can.

Many miracles Nicholas hastened to do,

Helping people in need with gifts that were new.

Bishop Nicholas traveled to Nicea town,

Where the Creed would be written, to us handed down.

During church every Sunday, we stand for the Creed.

Thank you Bishop St. Nicholas, for doing this deed.

Sailors tossed in the wind and the storms of the sea,

Saw a vision of Nicholas who guided them free.

Now patron of sailing, they remember him yet.

Many icons and pictures with fisherman's net.

Giving money to poor girls, so marry could they,

Made our Nicholas famous, remembered today.

With dowry in hand, soon they were wed.

"God bless you and keep you," St. Nicholas said.

Kid's patron in Germany, Netherlands, too.

Asks that presents be given to children like you.

Their customs are different: they put out their shoes—

Filling them with toys, his coming's good news!

Here stockings are hung by the chimney with care,

In hope that St. Nicholas soon will come there.

Dressed as bishop or Santa, he's one and the same—

Jolly, friendly, good man, we're glad that he came.

French card, St Nicolas

Call him "Santa" or "saint," they both mean the same,

For his nickname is Claus, short for Nicholas' name.

Giving gifts was his custom—we still do today.

Deeds done in Jesus' name forever will stay.

Bishop Nicholas still is a hero to all.

Christmas Day, and all others we follow his call,

Bringing gifts and some joy to children in need.

Follow Nicholas today—do a good deed.

Author Unknown

Saint Nicholas' Day is special to me.  As a child, on December 6th, I remember every year waking up with my brother and sisters and finding our Christmas stockings filled with fruits, candies, little toys, and coins.  It didn't matter what day of the week it was, whether it was a school day or a weekend, Saint Nick always remembered us with special little treats.

My niece, having little ones, recently asked me about Saint Nicholas, so she could pass the tradition on to her children.  The Saint Nicholas' poem sums up his goodness and generosity.  A couple of facts about Saint Nicholas that I have learned in my searchings:

• Saint Nicholas was a Catholic bishop who lived in the 4th century.
• December 6th is the date of his death, and his feastday.
• He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus.  (Wikipedia - Saint Nicholas)
• The name "Santa Claus" is an American accented version of the Dutch "Sinterklaas."  (St. Nicholas Center)  
• Santa means Saint, and Claus is a nickname for Nicholas.  (I can't find where I found this.) 
• Sinterklaas is an elderly, stately and serious man with white hair and a long, full beard. He wears a long red cape or chasuble over a traditional white bishop's alb and sometimes red stola, dons a red mitre, and holds a gold-coloured crosier, a long ceremonial shepherd's staff with a fancy curled top and he also has a ruby ring. He carries a big book that tells whether each individual child has been good or naughty in the past year. He traditionally rides a white gray.  (Sounds a lot like Santa Claus?)  (Wikipedia - Sinterklaas)  
• In layman's terms, he wore a white gown, similar to what priests wear under their robes.  Over the gown, he wore a long red cape.  A red stola is a long pleated dress worn over the white gown.  The red mitre is a traditional, ceremonial head-dress of bishops.  (Sounds so much like Santa Claus' outfit.  Even his red cape could be a flimsy red mitre.)
• He is also the Patron Saint of sailors and ships.  According to one legend, as a young man Nicholas went to study in Alexandria and on one of his sea voyages from Myra to Alexandria he is said to have saved the life of a sailor who fell from the ship's rigging in a storm.  (Maritime-Connector)

So, Jillian, Saint Nicholas' Day is celebrated in many countries.  For our family, it is part of our Polish heritage - a tradition that was passed down from the old country, and, hopefully, will continue to be celebrated through generations to come with many stockings hung.  One interesting bit of information - "in Poland, children polish their winter boots on December 5th and leave them by their beds at night, and by morning of December 6th Saint Nicholas ("Święty Mikołaj") fills the boots with small presents."  http://maritime-connector.com/saint-nicholas/)  We have never used boots, always stockings.  And, no, I don't know when our family changed that tradition.  Maybe Nana knows.

Happy Saint Nicholas' Day!
Aunt Janet

Help to Carry On

Sometimes in our lives we all have pain
We all have sorrow
But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Please swallow your pride
If I have things you need to borrow
For no one can fill those of your needs
That you don't let show

Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
'Til I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

If there is a load you have to bear
That you can't carry
I'm right up the road
I'll share your load
If you just call me

So just call on me brother, when you need a hand
We all need somebody to lean on
I just might have a problem that you'd understand
We all need somebody to lean on

Lean on me when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on
For it won't be long
Till I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on

Lean on me...
                                                         Bill Withers

Look around - there are people in pain.  Behind the facade of a smiling face, they go on, hanging by a fine golden thread to what is real -  where love exists.  Those closest may see these fine strings, may try to catch a hold of the ever wavering, only being defeated because it never quite swings in their direction.  The closest just don't have the power or strength to grab on.

And twirling and swinging, they pretend that love will grab a hold of them as they are propelled in the other direction.  Failing to lean when they are not strong - in the direction of the caring, the wise, the ones who truly care.  The movement plunges them forward, and away, until others are first heartbroken, after time, can't see the golden thread, and go on, leaning on others.

I've reached out.  I tried to hang on.  Now, I can't see you anymore.  But remember, there is still hope.

For those in pain, reach out before the pain becomes to great, before the forces carry you away into the unknown.  If the pain consumes, the unknown surrounds, turn to the known, the truth, the real, and you will find comfort.  Lean on the True Love, and Love will grab a hold of you.  You can't be helped until you ask.

As you surrender, slowly, oh so slowly, the golden thread will turn to a golden rod, visible to all, and love from everywhere will surround you once again.

Written for those I love who pushed me away until, heartbroken, I went on.  Hope exists.  Lean on Him.

Aunt Janet and Janet and friend

Fable of the Porcupine

I received this in an email, and the parable is so worth sharing!  But have you ever seen a baby porcupine?!  I would pass it along just for this!

Fable of the porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions. After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth that came from the others. This way they were able to survive. Moral of the story: The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

The real moral of the story......LEARN TO LIVE WITH THE PRICKS IN YOUR LIFE.

Bringing in the New Year!

For last year's words belong to last year's language

And next year's words await another voice.

And to make an end is to make a beginning.

T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding"

New Year's Eve was always a big event in my younger years.  My dad would pass out the silver dollars, those that were fond of herring would have a fork full, everyone got a little champagne, and we got to stay up past midnight!  We would gather in the living room, standing in front of the black and white, and count down with Dick Clark!  10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 - Happy New Year!  Everyone would kiss and hug and toast in the New Year.  It's one of my most precious memories as a child.

As I grew older, I would spend New Year's Eve with friends, but, if I was close to home, I would sneak out of the party at around 10 to midnight, and go to wherever my family was gathered to bring in the New Year.  I'm not even sure my friends would know I was gone because I would be back as they were still celebrating the New Year.

After my dad passed away, and my siblings began expanding the family, my brother took over the celebration.  With pots and pans in hand, while listening to the radio, we would count down, and, at midnight, we would bring in the New Year with my nieces and nephews banging pots and pans, bottle rockets going off, and the Christmas tree sending of the prettiest sparks.  Then the music would be turned up full blast and we would dance!  Shine!  My brother would be swinging a kid throw his legs, my self-conscious sister who never dances would be dancing, and everyone would be singing Shine! at the top of their lungs.  The times were not the most pleasant for each family, but, if you saw us on New Year's Eve, you would have never guessed.  It is one of my family's fondest memories.

Now, everyone is older, and the family does not gather together.  The other day, my niece suggested that maybe Uncle Karl would have a party like the old times.  So, on this New Year's Eve, my husband, having grown up in a home where everyone was asleep at midnight, will be sawing logs, and I will watch the countdown with Maggie at my feet, waiting for the phone calls I know will come.  Then, I will call my mom and whoever hasn't called to wish them a Happy New Year!

The first year this happened, I cried.  I cried because I was taught that how you bring in the New Year is how the year will be.  Bring in the New Year with celebration, love, and laughter (and a clean house), and the year will be filled with great things.

I pray that someday my family will realize how important family still is, and we will gather at midnight, hugging and kissing, and wishing our loved ones a very Happy New Year!  Until then, please be safe and smart. 

You may be okay, but the other guy on the road may be over the limit.  Lastly, remember to call me at midnight because I will be waiting to hear your cheerful voice wishing me a Happy New Year. 

I love you all!  Happy New Year!
Aunt Janet

P.S.  Here are some of my favorite songs for bringing in the New Year!  Please listen to the pieces I've chosen - they are beautiful!
Shine
Auld Lang Syne
Same Old Lang Syne  (This is who I had back stage passes for.  I knew that you would know who he was once you heard the song.  Yeah - met his parents and brothers, partied with the band, but never met Dan - even though they said if I swung my arm around, I would have hit him.)

The Canvas of Life

Dreams are like the paints of a great artist. Your dreams are your paints, the world is your canvas. Believing, is the brush that converts your dreams into a masterpiece of reality.

Author Unknown

I just turned 49, and I was feeling a little down.  My life is not the life I envisioned for myself.  What was and what I imagined it to be are two different pictures.  If I could go back in time, what would I do differently?

I was born with certain characteristics and talents, unique only to me.  These I cannot change - gifted to me from the Highest.  I do consider them gifts, and I am honored that He saw fit to bestow them onto me.

But, there are so many crossroads where I could have chosen a different path, and the road may have been different.  Better, lovelier, more fulfilling - I'm not sure.  Different - maybe.

A friend, sensing my desire to have lived a more fulfilling life, encouraged me to repaint my canvas.  It's never too late.  Just start with a blank canvas, start dreaming, and fill the canvas with beauty.  What I paint on my canvas will be one of a kind, priceless, and to be treasured forever.

How this all started?

A family member passed away.  We called him uncle because of our age difference.  He was actually a cousin.  He was one of the great story tellers in my family.  His eyes would light up when you asked him to share a story.  He was also a jokester.  As a child, I remember pretending that his car was a police car, with flashing lights and sirens (headlights and dome lights going on and off, siren sounds, children laughing, while my aunt was yelling).

That side of my family told the stories, some happy, some sad, and even some horrifying.  But, whatever the story, they shared it, letting the ghosts out, and passing their heritage on.

My dad was like that.  I miss him.  He passed away 26 years ago when my mom was only 49.  (So, that's where the age comes into play.)  There were so many life's trials that I wish my dad was there to guide me, encourage me, or push me in the right direction.  Yes, I may not have listened, but I would have learned.  Instead, I did what I believed was right, and, at times, was wrong.

What would I have changed?

This is something I need to contemplate.  To go back in time and look at the mistakes one makes takes courage.  To learn from those mistakes, and figure out how they could have been avoided, takes knowledge, understanding, and possibly a little experience.  So, without much thought, here is a couple of things that I would have done differently.

In 7th and 8th grade, I should have not tried to be cool and done stupid things that led to habits later.  Habits that I still struggle with today.

Going back 30 something years, I should have closed the door on my boyfriend's face.  Well, after he supposedly broke up with me, he came over after his first date with another girl.  And he kept coming over, and I let him for years.  I should have put up a boundary that I was not to be treated in that manner, with him disregarding my feelings and thinking I'd be there whenever. 

(The above are specifically written for some of my younger readers.)

One major thing I would have definitely changed is that I would have begun a family earlier, because then I would have had a family, whether naturally or by adoption.

The rest is yet to be decided.

Aunt Janet's Famous Quotes

You are old enough when you realize that you don't know everything, and you seek guidance from someone who knows more.

Repainting my canvas,
Aunt Janet

The Baby Ruth Story

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love,

the things you are,

the things you never want to lose.

From the television show The Wonder Years

I have been trying to remember the stories that were told to me by a man I highly respected and loved.  I learned from his knowledge passed on to me through stories.  Many were pleasant, yet, there were those that were painful, only retold to try to teach lessons.  I need to pass on these stories, not just so they would be heard, but so my niece can pass her class.

See, my niece is taking a Family American Diversity class in college, and she needs to gather our family history.  My sister has taken upon the task of learning our family history, after we realized that we did not have some family facts.  She has gone as far as dragging her husband to the cemetery an hour away, and shoveling through a foot of snow to find my grandparents' graves.  Taking into consideration that we have a Brady Bunch family, she's been searching for the marriage certificate of our dad and her mom, without luck so far.  (Maybe they weren't really married???  And I did become my dad's daughter after my mom married him when I was about 2 years old.)

My job is to pass on the stories.  I remember sitting at the table listening to my dad recall stories of his childhood, and stories of being a young man.  I loved hearing these memories.  It was what shaped him into the man he became, the father that loved his children, whether by blood or marriage, and lived his life from the lessons he had learned as he grew to adulthood.  He was a great story teller.

My other nieces and nephews have asked me to share these stories with them, to write them down so that they will not be forgotten, but passed on for generations to come.  So begins the recollection of the story teller, their grandfather, the man most of them never got to meet, and love, just as his children had loved.

Grandpa's Stories

Grandpa was born in 1924 and grew up during the Great Depression.  His family would take in or help other family members through this difficult time.  There was always the question of why his immediate family did not suffer financially like his aunts and uncles.  There was always the question of what Great Grandpa really did for a living, or how come he always had money.

Well, one story that I recall is what I will call the Baby Ruth story.  One day, grandpa and his cousin, and best friend (who we called Uncle Hermie), decided to go for a bike ride.  When they went to get their bikes, the garage door was locked.  Strange - it was never locked.  Grandpa climbed on Uncle Hermie's shoulders and peered in the garage window.  All he could see were boxes and boxes and more boxes.

The window was unlocked, so, with the help of Uncle Hermie, grandpa opened the window and climbed through.  He took down one of the boxes, and carefully opened it.  Inside were smaller boxes of Baby Ruth candy bars.  They had hit the jackpot! 

He handed the box to Uncle Hermie, climbed out the window, and covered up any evidence that would show they were in the garage.  It might have worked, but being the candy lovers that they were, they proceeded to eat the whole box of Baby Ruth's.  Needless to say, their indulgence was their misfortune - they were discovered because they became sick as dogs from all the chocolate.

Later, he had overheard that the Baby Ruth's came from a hijacked semi-truck.  Our cousin verifies this story.  Her mom, my dad's sister, had seen a truck being unloaded into the garage.

This is the first of many stories to come.  Grandpa always taught us to be honest, and to work hard for the things that we wanted.  I think a little of the morals he passed on to us came from eating too many Baby Ruth's, getting sick, and therefore, knowing that if you indulge in things that aren't yours, you will pay the consequences.

Recipes

Baby Ruth Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Baby Ruth candy bars (2.1 ounces each), chopped

Preheat oven to 350°.  In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in candy bars.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool. Yield: 4 dozen.


Fondly remembering,
Aunt Janet

Happy New Year's!

We will open the book. Its pages are blank.

We are going to put words on them ourselves.

The book is called Opportunity

and its first chapter is New Year's Day.

Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Alas, 2009 is gone, and a New Year is here! A New Year to hope, to plan, to seek, to love, and to realize dreams. I look forward to this New Year with much anticipation - it will definitely be a good year!


Due to life's trials, 2010 may be a year where we learn to change. Life is not what it was five years ago. We will become less materialistic, and we will simplify, holding on to our values and close ones more than things. This is the year we let go of the anger, let go of the fear, and resolve to find different roads to our happiness. I feel that family and friends will gather and share more of life's burdens, and rejoice in togetherness.

My New Year's resolution - 2010 will be a great year! Period, end of story, I'm claiming it! I will need to let go of the anger, the fear, and humble myself to go down roads I do not know or chose to avoid in the past. Although I have done this in the past, I give all my woes to God, and ask that His plan for my life become clearer, and He lights the path brightly, the one that I am to take. In the past, I thought I was doing what He wanted me to do, but the results weren't always good. So, now I ask, and pray, that these paths are illuminated so I know clearly where to go.

I also claim for year that 2010 will be a great year! Be brave and look up for it may not be what you expected, and it may take you be surprise, but, at the close of the year, if you kept your faith, you will look back and say "Yes, 2010 was a great year!"

Books

I began the New Year reading a daily inspirational book called God's Abundance: 365 Days to a Simpler Life, and a best seller which you will probably recognize, Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Joy. My goal in reading these books (for the second or third time) is to learn techniques and ways to simplify my life and be content.  Check them out by clicking on the book name above.

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

This is a saying that I picked up from my dad.  When I was growing up, my family always brought in the New Year.  We held silver dollars, kissed and hugged, and drank a smidgen of champaign.  Being Polish, some even ate the pickled herring which is supposed to bring in good luck for the coming year. 

"How you start the year is how it will be all year long."  If you start the year with a clean house, your house will be clean.  If you start the year with a positive attitude, you will be positive all year. 

One interesting tradition I just learned - on New Year's, place a penny on a windowsill to increase the chances of prosperity in the year to come.  I'm trying it, and I'll let you know if it helps.
Happy New Year!
Aunt Janet

The Best Gift - Family

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:
the presence of a happy family
all wrapped up in each other.

Burton Hillis

I'm so excited - my younger sister is going to celebrate Christmas Eve with our family. That is the best Christmas present ever!

Money Savings

Last year, I gave my nieces homemade bath salts for Christmas.  I experimented mixing different scented oils together, and came up with a couple they really liked.  Scented oils can be found at health food stores, or in the aromatherapy section at your drug store.  Here's the recipe:

1 cup sea or kosher salt
1/2 cup Epson salt
12 drops of scented oil
1/4 cup baking soda
food coloring (optional)

Blend both salts and oil in bowl; add baking soda and mix well.  Pour in bottle or jar, add a homemade label. 

Different fragrances and fragrance combinations I have tried:

Grapefruit and Peppermint - Refreshing and Stimulating
Tangerine and Peppermint - Refreshing and Calming
Grapefruit and Tangerine - Refreshing and Relaxing
Lavender - Calming and Soothing

Recipe

Chocolate Shortbread

4 oz. (4 squares) unsweetened baking chocolate
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tsps. vanilla
2 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped - if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two large baking sheets.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently.  Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.  In large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  Beat in the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly.  Sift the flour with the baking powder.  Using a pastry blender, work the flour mixture into the butter mixture until it is thoroughly blended.  Mix the chopped walnuts into the dough by hand.

On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/2 inch.  Cut out the cookies into desired shapes using biscuit or cookie cutters.  Place the cookies 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookies are light brown.  Remove the cookies from the baking sheet after 2 to 3 minutes, when they are still warm to touch, and cool on wire racks.

Christmas Magic

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful.

Norman Vincent Peale

It was the one of those Decembers when you don't feel like celebrating.  Life was not going according to plan.  I couldn't get myself to decorate.

One day, I walked in the house to Christmas decorations everywhere.  Every room was decorated, and there were no Christmas storage boxes anywhere.  The tree was aglow, my precious decorations hanging from the branches.  Who did this?

It was magic.  The Christmas spirit came in the form of my nieces, and decorated my house.  I wept, knowing that my nieces loved me so much that they wanted to share the joy of Christmas with me in a way that touched deep inside my heart.  (They even took the boxes back to storage - so my house was nice and neat.)

If you are close to someone who isn't in the holiday spirit, bring some of the spirit to them.  You can decorate a miniature tree, bring them a wreath or a small nativity, ...  I know that when this was done for me, it was one of the kindest presents I ever received.  I love you, girls!

Recipe

This is one of my all time favorite cookies!
Toffee Bars

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 cup flour
6 (1.05 oz. each) milk chocolate bars
2/3 cup crushed nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and egg yolk. Add flour gradually, stirring until well blended. Spread dough in slightly greased 15.5" x 10.5" x 1" jelly roll pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until medium brown. After removing from oven, lay chocolate bars on top. Spread when melted. Sprinkle with nuts. Cool, and cut into bars.

Money Savings

Do you have a color printer?  An inexpensive and easy gift is to make note cards.  If you have a publishing or greeting card software, it's super easy to make note cards.  If you have word processing software, it's a little more difficult - the software's help will guide you.  Just search for greeting cards.  If you can't find it under help, Google the name of your software and then "greeting cards" in quotes.  Someone out there would have created a greeting card using your software.

You can choose one design, or you can print out several different kinds with similar designs.  For example, I'll print four of three different kinds of wild flowers note cards.  If the card will only be folded once, I use cardstock so that the colors don't bleed through.  if folded twice, I will use regular paper.  I usually print 10-12 cards and I include envelopes that are the same size as the card.  You can find the all you need at an office store.  Check out OfficeMax's Holiday Deals!  To make the gift more personalized, create return address labels with a small graphic that matches the graphic on your note card.

Then, take the cards and envelopes, wrap them together with raffia or ribbon, place them in a box or bag, and I'm sure they will be a much appreciated gift, because you made it from your heart!

Here is an example of a note card I made using Microsoft Publisher.  The graphic came from Microsoft ClipArt (savory).

Happy All Hallow's Eve

Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen,

Voices whisper in the trees, "Tonight is Halloween!"

Dexter Kozen

Growing up Catholic, I knew that Halloween was the night before All Saint's Day.  Halloween was the night were ghosts and goblins came up and haunted the earth.  We dressed up not to celebrate the day, but to confuse the ghosts.  As I became older, I learned that All Saint's Day was a Catholic holiday that was created to offset a pagan holiday, Halloween.

Out of curiousity, I did a little research.  I learned that Halloween or All Hallow's Eve was a Celtic holiday called Samhain, and pronounced sow-in, usually celebrated on October 31st, the day before the Celtic New Year, November 1st.  The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half".  The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home whilst harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. Halloween, Wikipedia

In 835, Pope Gregory IV moved the celebration for all the martyrs (later all saints) from May 13 to November 1. The night before became known as All Hallow’s Even or “holy evening.” Eventually the name was shortened to the current Halloween. On November 2, the Church celebrates All Souls Day.  The purpose of these feasts is to remember those who have died, whether they are officially recognized by the Church as saints or not. It is a celebration of the “communion of saints,” which reminds us that the Church is not bound by space or time. Halloween, Faith-filled Family

I personally never liked scary costumes, but now I understand their purpose - they were made to scare off the harmful spirits.  Many children do not realize this, so I guess it's part of my job to let them know what they are doing.  When they just thought of how horrid, gory, and scary they could look, these little demons,  witches, and vampires were warding or scaring off bad stuff, so only good stuff can happen to them.  Turn something negative into something positive - yah.

Oh, I found out that the tradition of carving pumpkins really started as the tradition of carving turnips.  The Celts would carve out the inside of turnips, and put a lighted candle in them, to ward off bad spirits.  When the Irish Catholics came to America, they found that pumpkins were a larger substitute for the turnip.  Interesting.

Easy Recipe

I know that I have used this recipe before, but it is so good, and appropriate for this time of the year.

Candy Apple Salad


8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream until blended. 
Fold in 8 oz whipped topping.
Mix in 3 cups of chopped apples, and 1 cup of nuts if desired.

Fairy Tales

Will the princess' kiss turn the toad into a handsome prince?

Really, she's a lion, and he's a dinosaur.

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

Halloween is a children's holiday.  Being childless, coupled with the fact that I hardly get any trick or treaters and I have really good candy, it's always been a difficult holiday for me.  So, whenever one of my nieces or nephews surprise me, I always tell them "You are my favorite niece/nephew because you remembered me on Halloween, and I don't have to cry."  My nieces and nephews are aged 16 and above, so if one of them comes over for Halloween, it's special (and they want to steal all my chocolate candy)!!

Happy All Hallow's Eve,
Aunt Janet

Storytelling

Our stories matter... Your stories matter… For you never know how much of a difference they make and to whom.

Caroline Joy Adams

My dad was a great story teller. I loved sitting at the table listening to him recall memories of his youth. There was the time that his dad brought him a pet baby alligator. It didn't move all day. When my grandfather came home, he asked where the alligator was. My dad, thinking it was dead, had buried it. My grandfather explained to him that it was just hibernating. Well, when my dad dug it up, it was definitely dead.

My dad grew up during the Great Depression in Capone's Chicago. His stories ranged from raising chickens, helping family, to a stolen truckload of candy that somehow wound up in the garage - I think they were Baby Ruths. Let's say my grandfather might have been a little shady. His stories included World War II, where he served as a tail gunner in the Army's Air Corp. Having been stationed in Africa, when he was returning to the States, he tried to bring 2 monkeys home for my cousins, but he got stopped.  He saw Mussolini and his mistress hanging.  The Army fed them steak before each mission.

I could sit there for hours listening to his stories. He has been gone for twenty six years this Labor Day. Only 3 out of 13 grandchildren were born at the time. We were all still so young. I had just graduated college, and I was the middle child. I miss the storytelling.

Storytelling seems to be becoming a lost art. Everyone is so busy, running from here to there, with so much on their plate that we forget to tell the stories. Stories of where we came from, stories of lessons learned, stories to be proud of whom we are. I am trying to continue the storytelling - telling my dad's stories to my nieces and nephews, so that they will have a glimpse of this wonderful man. I also know that for the storytelling to continue, I need to add my story, the story of growing up in my family. Like when my brother and sister thought it would be fun to use the laundry shoot as a slide, why we called my sister chimp, or how every night my dad would yell upstairs "Wake up Judy and tell her to go to sleep." She always fell asleep on top of the bed with her clothes on. Her kids say she still does it.

What stories are you passing on? What stories do you have to tell? Share them!

Money Savings Tip

Here are some cheap stain removers from stuff you have laying around the house. Always test the stain removal product in a hidden area first to make sure it does not damage fabric in any way (bleach, fade, etc.).

• Ink - Hairspray - Put piece of paper towel behind fabric.  Spray spot with hairspray until saturated.  Blot with paper towel. Launder as usual, but check to make sure stain is gone before you dry. If it isn’t, repeat above steps until stain is gone.
• Gum – Freezer – Put the clothing in the freezer for about 6 hours. Chip off the gum from the clothing. If any gum remains, use vinegar and a toothbrush and scrub off remaining gum. Launder as usual.
• Rust – Rhubarb – Cut rhubarb stalks in one inch pieces, put in water and bring to boil. Let stand for 15 minutes. Take rust stain clothing and let it soak in solution for 1-24 hours depending on stain. OR Lemon Juice and Salt – Keep in mind this method can bleach the clothing. Sprinkle stain with salt, then squeeze lemon juice over stain. Spread the garment in the sun to dry.

I’d love to hear your cheap stain removers. Please post any that you may have to share.

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

I picked up a saying from my dad.  When we were young and slightly misbehaving, he would say stop it, cut it out, behave yourself, or whatever was appropriate "Or I'll put my nose between your teeth and I won't let go."  It would always make us stop what we were doing, think about what he said, and tell him that it doesn't make sense.  Smart man - he got the results he wanted.

You have something to share,
Aunt Janet

Preserving the Harvest

Putting food by is the antidote for running scared.

Janet Greene

It's canning day tomorrow!  Canning has become a past time in my household.  Each year, the vegetables are harvested, preserved, and enjoyed.  Salsa and tomatoes, sweet relish and pickles, green beans and tomato sauce, and something new, maybe ketchup or mint jelly.

Starting at a young age, my nieces gathered at my home, sometimes one, sometimes all, dicing and slicing, scalding and peeling, jarring and canning.  When making tomato sauce, they flocked to my house, fighting over who could crank the juicer next.  (No lie!) 

They have learned the pleasure of canning.  When you can, you gather to celebrate the harvest.  It is a time of reconnecting, working together, and enjoying this shared time.  When we are preserving the harvest, the kitchen is filled with chatting and laughing.

Putting food by or preserving food is the antidote for running scared.  Not only does it save money (so your cupboard isn't bear in winter), it brings family and friends together, to talk and help each other sort through the many complexities of life.  Your loved ones help ease the fear of everyday problems, so you won't be running scared.

Money Savings


Canning really does save money. According to Thomas Bewick, national program leader for horticulture of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, for tomatoes, “If you harvest 30 pounds at $2 per pound, that plant is worth $60,” he says. “But it only cost $2.90 to buy the plant, a few cents for water and 15 cents for the fertilizer.”


The initial investment for jars and canning supplies may seem a little expensive, but they will last you for years.  You can find these canning items at your mom's basement collecting dust, a local hardware store, grocery store, garage sale, flea market, or department store, such as K-Mart.  I'll usually load up on lids at the end of the season when they go on sale.  Also, let others know that you are canning and looking for jars.  My family has contributed boxes and boxes (and more boxes) of jars.  For the preserved gifts that we give, I ask them to return the jars after they have enjoyed whatever is in the jar.

Here is our canning cabinet.  My husband's goal is to can 50 pints of green beans.  So far, he's up to 42 pints.  Doesn't it look pretty?  And it saved us $$.  He also have made relish, jam, and pickles.  I made the salsa.  (He's a self-employeed carpenter, so you can guess how busy he is right now.)  Tomorrow I'll be canning more salsa and tomatoes.  If someone stops by to help, I might even try making some zucchini pickles.  (Hey Jill - where's my zucchini bread you promised to make me from all the zucchini I gave you?)


Easy Recipe


This is a great recipe to make on canning day, when you are too busy to cook a meal, and your stove has canning pots boiling away. You just throw it in the crock pot, and let it cook all day long.


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork


1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
8 hamburger buns


Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.


Aunt Janet's Famous Quotes


This is a new one, never quoted before.  "I will share my salsa or pickles with whoever helps.  So, get your butt over here, and start chopping."  I enjoy your company, and desperately need your help! 


All are welcome to help,
Aunt Janet

Letting Go

True love doesn't have a happy ending, because true love never ends.

Letting go is one way of saying I love you.

Author Unknown

Last weekend, my niece and her husband unexpectedly decided to move. I am feeling sad tonight because, for the past month, my niece and baby would come over for dinner on Thursday nights. She would let me hold, feed, and cuddle with him, things that I always yearned to do with my own children. It was filling a hole in my heart that was never filled for I have no children. I would thank her, thank her for letting him be a part of my life. Her mother had let me "mother" her when she was a baby. At the end of the visit, she would tell me "Okay, Aunt Janet, it's time to give her back now."

Now, my niece and her baby moved far away - too far for a day trip. I will miss them both terribly. I know I can talk to her on the phone, but he can't talk yet. I know I can see pictures of him crawling, but I can't get on the floor and encourage him. I won't be able to rock him to sleep, or hear him say his first words. I will miss this.

My sister and her sisters are grieving, each dealing with it in their own way. Some through anger, some through tears. I, myself, cried unending tears as I watched her drive away. She, being young, doesn't realize the emptiness her absence will cause. Just to see her smiling face, or watch her glow when the baby smiles and coos. I will miss not having him underfoot, watching him explore in my garden, growing at an amazing pace, and teaching him about life, as I did with her.

Before she drove off, each family member released a balloon, with the words that we did not want her to go, and we would miss her deeply. We were putting her in God's care, and she was holding on to the string of the balloon as it carried her away into the unknown.

To my niece - I miss you already, and you have only been gone a week. Each of us reacts to this loss in our own way, but each of us feels the pain. You are a very special part of our lives, and to have you so far away, not being able to just drop by and give you or the baby a hug, is hard. Do not be angry with us for how we handle this situation, for we will miss you terribly. As your life changes, so does ours, and grief stirs our emotions, as excitement stirs yours. Let understanding and compassion become part of who you are. If you feel any of the following, let go of defensiveness and anger, and instead accept and hold dear our grief, for it is with love that we let you go. Remember - we are always here. We love you!

Recipe

This is one of my niece's favorite meals. I would invite her over whenever I made it, or send a bowl or two home with her. Here is the recipe so you can enjoy it and think of me.

Aunt Janet's French Onion Soup

8-10 large onions, sliced thinly into circles
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. sugar
1 Tbs. flour
6 cups of beef broth - I use 3 cans of beef broth and 1 cup of beef bouillon broth
1 tsp thyme, if desired
French bread, sliced
Grated cheese - I usually blend Swiss and mozzarella, or use Gruyere cheese

Melt butter over medium heat. Add the onions. Sprinkle with the sugar, and cook, stirring as needed so the onions don't stick. Cook until they begin to caramelize (become a golden brown - usually about one hour. While onions are cooking, toast the bread under a broiler until golden brown.

Sprinkle the flour over the onions, and stir to coat. Add the broth and thyme, and bring to simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Ladle the hot soup in ovenproof bowls, top with bread, and sprinkle with cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

My dad passed away years ago, and the majority of my nieces and nephews never met him. I feel that I need to share who he was with them so they could have a glimpse at this wonderful man. So, his sayings have become mine. As Grandpa used to always say "Friends will come and go, but family is forever."

Until we meet again,
Aunt Janet

The Blame Game

We are taught you must blame your father, your sisters, your brothers, the school, the teachers - you can blame anyone but never blame yourself. It's never your fault. But it's always your fault, because if you wanted to change, you're the one who has got to change. It's as simple as that, isn't it?

Katharine Hepburn

This afternoon I ventured to the woods to take a walk, and something made me change my mind. I turned around and headed for a wooded lot my mom owns. Here I have a hosta garden, and I knew that it needed tending. As I pulled up, I noticed bikes at the edge of a path. The neighborhood kids were probably building their fort made up of scrapes they had uncovered in the neighborhood.

My family doesn't mind the kids. For boys, and some girls, what is more fun than building a fort in the middle of the woods? We do have rules that I have explained to them in the years past. No climbing trees, pick up your garbage, and keep my garden safe.

As I got out of my car, I noticed smoke. The fort window (scrap plastic) was turning brown. Fire! The kids were huddled around the fort, and were trying to put out the fire so I didn't see it. They threw bricks on it, and covered it with plastic, only causing more smoke. With all the dead wood around, I nicely scolded the kids, and told them to run for a big bucket of water. In the meantime, I removed the plastic and bricks, and tried to put out the fire with my glass of soda. It only caused more smoke.

I yelled to the kids to hurry, and they started walking back with their mother. As they approached, I told them that I wanted the lighter or matches. What I am about to describe is a mother hen defending her chicks. I explained that the kids had started a fire, and asked the children again for the lighter or matches. She started saying that this is vacant property. (What does that have to do with a fire?) I told her that my mom owned it, and we didn't mind the kids playing on the property as long as they followed the rules. She kept insisting that it's vacant, that someone from our city had told her that it was an easement. I explained it was not, and asked the kids to go get another bucket of water since the fire was still smoking.

I again told her that they had rules, like no garbage and no climbing trees, and I had explained the rules to them in the prior years. She said that her kids didn't start the fire, the other boy with them had. She also said that her daughter had picked up garbage, and she had told her not to fill up her garbage can with this garbage. The kids came back with the other bucket, and I finished extinguishing the fire.

She was protecting her children for something that they did wrong, whether they did it themselves or watched as someone else light the fire. Later, I turned it positive by asking the children to make a sign, listing all the rules. Next time they see my vehicle, we would wrap it in plastic and hang it by the entrance. The parents stood in their yard, looking at me, not knowing how to respond. The kids responded with glee, saying they would have a sign for me when I returned.

This encounter made me think. We are so quick to put the blame somewhere else, instead of taking responsibility for our own actions. How many times have we found someone else to blame for our poor or bad actions? If this person did or didn't do that or say that, we would have not responded in the negative way we had. Wrong. We are responsible for ourselves (and the children God gave us).

When I was growing up, no one let me get away with anything. If I did wrong, the teacher or friend's parent corrected me right there and then, and I got it again when my parents found out. To top it off, they thanked the one who had first corrected me. I'm not that old, but, lately, I find more and more people blaming others for their wrongdoings.

We also watch someone else do wrong, without trying to stop them. Okay, I do agree that we cannot control another's actions, but doesn't God say that we are to tell them, with love? If they chose not to listen, at least we know in our heart that we had tried. Growing up, I usually got the same punishment as my sibling because I knew what they were doing was wrong.

When you go to blame someone else, when you make excuses for your actions based on someone else, think. You alone can react the way you do - there is no one else around that can make you react a certain way. You are in control of your own actions. If someone did hurt you, turn it around into something positive.

I wonder why she didn't thank me for seeing a fire, and responding to it. With the wind and all the dried wood, her children could have been hurt. I stepped in, by chance, and stopped something tragic from happening. Who do I have to thank today for stopping me from making a mistake? Or do I get defensive, and turn it around, putting blame on someone else? Think about it.

Aunt Janet's Famous Sayings

I have told this to each one of my nieces and nephews. At first, they say "Right, Aunt Janet." Later, they are amazed at how I found something out, or how I just ended up being someplace to stop them from making a mistake. For example, my youngest nephew was amazed when I found him in a dumpster behind the Parish Hall. How in the heck did I know he was there? For some reason, I had missed my friend's driveway, and I turned around in the parking lot behind the Parish Hall, and there he was, knee deep in garbage, looking for copper. I got him out of the dumpster, and, being a good aunt, called his dad.

What do I say to them? "I have ears and eyes all over town. Whatever you do, I will eventually find out." From experience, they know that it happens.

Free Stuff

Free Sample of Carmex Chapstick
Free sample of Emergen-C® Health & Energy Water 1000
Free Sample of Always and Tampax(r) tampons and liners

Money Savings Tip

Being short on funds, this week I went through my freezer and pantry to decide what to make for dinner. I came up with enough meals to last us a week, and we only have to buy a few items. Yeah!!

What's in your freezer today? How many meals can you make without making a trip to the store? Sometimes it helps to investigate.

Think!
Aunt Janet

Janet-isms

Don't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive.

Bugs Bunny

Most people that I know tend to take life too seriously, including me. After all, deadlines need to be met, bills need to be paid, and people need our care. Although this is so true, we need to do these things, but why not enjoy the ride!

If only we could be like a child - looking at life through wonderous eyes, living for the moment, and laughing. The say laughing relieves stress, and adds years to your life. You know this is true. I know it. So, instead of taking our responsiblities so seriously, why don't we try to live for the moment, enjoy the moment, and laugh at the moment?

I have a condition. My friends call it Janet-isms. Out of the ordinary things just happen to me. I do nothing to provoke or cause them. They just happen. Some are good, some bad. To give a couple examples:

I bought some books at a jewelry rally. Months later (okay, a little late), I went to balance my credit card bill and thought I was charged twice. So, I called the number on the bill, thinking it would be a payment service company. Well, when the person answered the phone, I immediately knew I was wrong - it was his voice - the author of "When God Winks", producer of ABC After School Specials and Schoolhouse Rocks, a person who has won Emmy's. Imagine my astonishment when I found out that I had called his personal cell phone while he was boarding a plane. So, for a small fortune, I could give you his number. Hehe - I wouldn't do that, I don't think. Better idea - maybe I'll forward this blog to him. It shouldn't be too hard to get his email address, you think? (I wonder if somehow this could be a God Wink. Imagine - he reads my blog, falls in love with it, tells his friends, and I become famous.)

Another one - I went to the closing of my buildings, signed all the papers, and, guess what? The buildings didn't close. As my one friend put it, it can only happen to you.

Here's one - I went to a Dan Fogelberg concert, and had backstage passes. While I was backstage, I didn't meet Dan Fogelberg. I met his parents, the other band members, but not the main attraction. I didn't even see him. Later, my friends told me that he was standing right behind me. If I had turned around, I probably would have smacked him with my hand. Janet-isms.

I think that God gave me Janet-ism to make me laugh. If I fall in the mud, if I spill coffee on my college papers worth 50% of my grade, if a crazy person starts pounding on my window, if Father O starts pounding on my window while I'm starting to do a doun-ie (sp?) in the church parking lot, it's just normal - these things just happen to me. They happen out of the blue, when I'm taking life too seriously, and all I can do is laugh. Crying would be totally useless because I can't change them. As I said before, my one friend would say - "It can only happen to you."

Laugh, live, and love! After all, we might as well enjoy it!

Easy Recipe

Baked Ham

1 cup 7-up
1 can Pineapple pieces
Jar of Cherries (the ones for cocktails, not pies)
Ham

Mix all the juices together (including cherry juice). Glaze ham and bake according to instructions on ham. Continue pouring glaze over ham until ham is fully cooked.

Family

When I was little, one tradition that my family participated in was going to church on Easter Saturday to bless baskets. The baskets would be overflowing with candy, colored eggs, butter, bread, salt, and polish sausage. In other words, it would really smell. I always understood the eggs, butter, bread, and salt, but I never got the polish sausage.

I loved that tradition. When my nieces and nephews were young, my sisters carried on the tradition. Sadly, I never did. Maybe because I though this was a tradition to carry on to your children, and I didn't have any. Today, I wish I had because of the memories. I wonder if my nieces and nephews are going to pass this tradition on to their children? I hope so - but they could leave out the polish sausage unless someone could explain to me why it is put in the basket. Anyone??

Sad note - I just found out that Dan Fogelberg died in 2007. Now, I have to buy his album so I can sing “Same Old Lang Syne”. I love that song. And I never got to meet him! I'm bummed!

Wishing that the Easter Bunny is good to you,
Aunt Janet

The Rainbow after the Storm

Have faith in your dreams and someday

your rainbow will come smiling through.

No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep believing,

the dream that you wish will come true.

Dream is a Wish in Your Heart

It's Spring and it's raining! Memories of my childhood come flooding back. When it was storming, my sister, brother, and I would sit on the front porch and watch the lightening. We would argue whether the angel who was bowling got a strike or not. We'd count the seconds, and declare that the heart of the storm was raging that many miles away.

If it got too bad, my mother would shoo us in the house. If the electric went out, it was that much better. We'd sit around telling stories and laughing. I loved those times!

When the sun reappeared in the dark sky, we'd search for the rainbows, and count the pastel colors. My mom would remind us that rainbows were God's promise to man. He would never flood the earth again.

As in life, rainbows follow storms. I am continuously learning how to laugh during the storm, make the most out of the high winds, and look for the gold in the rainbow. After all, the loudest thunder was a strike!

Time Savings Tip

To clean out the inside of a microwave, bring a cup of water to boil in it. The steam will help loosen dried on particles making them easily wiped away.

Money Savings Tip

Okay, don't laugh - I'm a little slow to pick up on this one. It is so much cheaper to buy a six pack, 12 pack or carton of pop at the store then it is to buy it from the vending machine. I just really realized the savings - over $2! So, this tip is for those of you, like myself, who didn't really realize this. $2 a week time 52 weeks is money in my pocket!

Until we blog again,
Aunt Janet

Dancing in the Rain

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.

Author Unknown

Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy or you can choose to be sad. You can choose to let everything bother you, or you can choose to let it all go upwards. If someone is arguing with you, you can choose to argue back, or choose to walk away. It is all your choice.

So many people expect things to fit into a mold, to go the way they want them to go, and, to even expect others to act the way they want them to act. They curse at the next driver, or snap at a store clerk. Why? What's the purpose? Are you going to change anything by acting negatively?

Life, and people, will not be what you want them to be. God made each of us unique, with are own values, talents, and beliefs. That's what makes life interesting. You have no control over what goes on around you - you can only control what goes on inside yourself.

When I'm upset, I am a master distractor (sp?). I read, write, take down wallpaper, tear down walls (I have done this), make something, go for a walk - anything to take my mind off the problem. Sometimes this is good, but sometimes you do have to face your problems, and work through them, understanding that you alone can make a change. Again, you cannot control anyone or anything else, only yourself.

So, when life gets you down, do something positive - anything. Plant a garden, visit a friend, go to a movie, just something. Because life will not always happen like you planned it, and, from time to time, it will pour, leaving many puddles and muddy patches along the way. You can dance and get muddy like a child, and make the most out of what was handed to you! Have you ever danced in the rain?

Gardening

Even though it is only the end of March, and, more than likely, there will be another frost, I bought onion sets the other day. Onions are hardy. If the frost kills the green tops, the bulb is still okay. In fact, every year, I find onions that I forgot to pull last year, with their green tips sticking out of the earth, ready to snip off for cottage and green onions.

One other bulb that comes back year after year is garlic. It multiplies! Each clove becomes a new plant. I only planted garlic once. I am able to give it away, and use it all through the growing season, and still have a healthy garlic patch. It even grows if it's been rototilled and the little clove has been moved, involuntarily, from its bed. My husband always hits part of the garlic patch every year with the rototiller.

I plan to spend this weekend separating my garlic cloves, so each will produce new bulbs, and planting my onions sets. Within a couple of weeks, I should have green onions, and my first harvest from my little garden. Yummm!!!

Easy Recipe

When we make the Chicken Crescent recipe that I posted just recently, I always make this recipe. My husband and I decided that they just go together, along with some kind of saucy noodles. And it's so easy to prepare.

Cottage Cheese and Green Onions

16 oz cottage cheese, your choice what kind, low-fat, no fat, or with all the fat
2-3 green onions

Cut green onions tips into ringlets (I don't know how else to say this). Chop bulb into small pieces. Mix with cottage cheese and serve.

Free Stuff

Get a free sample of Tide TotalCare.

Family

My family is celebrating two birthdays today, March 19th - my sister-in-law Linda's birthday and my nephew Eric's birthday. Happy Birthday to you, and I won't sing because you know how I sound. (Everyone makes fun of my singing, and I can't figure out why. It sounds great to me.)

Aunt Janet

Fettucine Alfredo and My Nieces

Fettuccine Alfredo is macaroni and cheese for adults.

Mitch Hedberg

One of my fondest memories is cooking with my nieces. It got to the point where they would help themselves to whatever was in my pantry or fridge and create their own delicacy. They even told me if I had to buy something.

I let them use a knife when they were young - one thing that there mom was afraid of doing. It made them feel older. One niece, no matter how many times I told her to be careful, always cut herself. It was just a surface cut, but after a while, I know she learned to be careful.

I loved being with them, cooking, talking, and then eating these foods. These are memories that will cherish forever. I miss these times, but I am fairly certain, soon their children will occupy my kitchen, and we will create the most tasty of foods.

Easy Recipe

One of our favorite recipes to prepare was Fettuccine Alfredo. It was a meal that each one loved - it was so hard to find something everyone liked.

Fettuccine Alfredo

1 box Fettuccine noodles

1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs. butter
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Dash of salt and pepper

Simmer 2/3 cup cream and all of the butter over medium heat until thickened. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain and transfer to pan with sauce. Stir until pasta is coated with sauce. Add rest of cream and grated cheese. Toss until cream is thickened. Serve immediately. Serves 5-6 people (usually).