Earth-Friendly Friday the 13th - Share the Moments of Your Life

"And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more!"
- from How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

YIKES - it's Friday the 13th and time to focus on the things that matter the most in life, like the little things. And we could all learn a lesson or two from the jolly "green" guy: the Grinch.

Simplify the holidays (whether it's Christmas or Thanksgiving) and enjoy the time with your family - that's the important thing in life. Here are some tips to help you bring joy to your holidays and get rid of the stressful stuff.

It's not what you give, or what you get. The holidays are about spending time--not money.

Remember: "what happened then? Well, in Whoville they say that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day."

Answer to Thought for Thursday

Answer: Clement Clarke Moore

Read the entire poem here.

THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY

THOUGHT: Who wrote Twas the Night Before Christmas?

Take a guess or if you know
enter it in comments - before you go
then come back here at just about 3
That's the time, when you can see
If you knew the "write" choice
Speak up - use your voice!

HEART-HEALTHY HOLIDAY

Low Calorie Egg-Nog

I love egg-nog but I don't want high calorie drinks - at least not too many. So, I try to make tasty egg-nog with fewer calories than store bought drinks. This is how I do it:

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 raw egg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
*OPTIONAL: 1 shot of rum

Mix for about ten seconds in a blender and serve.

This is so yummy and you can adjust the cinnamon and nutmeg to suit your own personal taste. Plus, if you're worried about eating a raw egg, flash boil it for ten seconds before adding it to the mix.

CHEERS!!!

Tablescape Tuesday

I'm getting ready for the holidays. I pulled out my tableclothes and plates to see what I still need.

This is what I've come up with so far:

I took some black beans (from out of the kitchen) and poured them into a vase then I stuck the feathers I'd used for my Halloween costume into the beans and added some silk flowers I'd gotten at Joann Fabrics on a 70% off sale. This is one way to make a very inexpensive centerpiece but I think it turned out pretty.


Then I pulled out the candelabra and tried another look:


I love the ambiance of candles and flickering candlelight, especially at the holidays.





It's the season of sharing, so do you have any inexpensive ideas for holiday centerpieces?

MARCH MADNESS - HOW 'BOUT MONDAY MADNESS

Warner Pacific Women's Basketball

My daughter plays college basketball, for Warner Pacific College. She's the third one from the left on the back row.

She's loved basketball since she was a little girl and started playing with her brothers who never cut her any slack. She learned to dribble between her legs, around her back and sideways. What else could she do with two 6'4" and 6'5" brothers?

I guess they didn't know it then, but they were really helping her out.

Cartoon Me - Little Luke

This is a clip from my sons', Jake's and Luke's, web comic. Jake wanted to make a statue of his brother's toon for Luke's birthday. So, he did.

Jake does the art for their web comic and Luke does the writing. Most of the comic strips have Luke and Jake in them. Anyway, when Jake said he was going to make a statue of his brother I asked him, "have you ever made a statue before?"

"No," he told me, "but how hard can it be?"

I just smiled and watched him go to work.

First Jake had to sketch out the statue he wanted to make:


Then he had to make the armature to stick the clay on.


Then he had to start layering the clay.



Then the actual sculpting:


Now, it was time to bake the little Luke:


I thought he turned out sooooo cute:



And, so we drove to UofO to have Luke open his gift.

I think he liked his little Luke.

Plus, Jake was explaining that now he's going to make a statue of himself to fit on the other side of the circle. It will be brother to brother - standing back to back and forming a full circle.


Two toons immortalized in clay - how cute is that?