Christmas Craft Idea . . .

Even much worse than a storm or a riot, is a bunch of kids who are suddenly quiet . . . Go find them and try making . . .

Homemade Silly Putty

1 cup Elmer's glue
1 cup liquid starch
food coloring

Put glue and coloring in plastic container. Add starch, a little at a time, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until mixture holds together like putty. Test with your fingers, if too sticky, add more starch in small amounts until mass is smooth and rubbery. Now, you have fun! The putty stretches, bounces and takes transfers off the Sunday comics. Store in an airtight container. A Christmas gift idea for your children to make for their friends?

Sharing the Poetry Corner . . .

Promises

Promises are made
To be broken,
Forgotten,
Neglected.
They are lightly given
To remain unfulfilled.
Unkept promises,
However,
Are really harmless,
Painless,
As long as you are
Not the waiting
Recipient of one.

B. Munsell 773

Mixing your apples with oranges . . .

My husband was visiting family a few years ago. They are all against abortion but have seldom, if ever, voted for a candidate that supported the unborn's right to life. The conversation at the dinner table turned to the subject of life and one of his siblings pointed a finger at my husband and said, "How can you say you are pro-life when you aren't against the death penalty." My husband looked at him and said, "Isn't there a difference between a hardened criminal who finds him or herself on the wrong side of the law and an innocent baby who had no choice in being conceived?"

All too often, we get the same agenda from liberal friends about having so much compassion for the unborn yet none for our fellow man. To me, the subject is not one but two distinct topics and should not be jumbled together for the vote. How many people die from death row vs. how many babies are aborted each and every day? Is there a bit of a difference here? And, how can friends and family throw all rights to life under the bus because a murderer may have to pay for his crime?

When I think pro-life, my thoughts are entirely on the unborn who have been deprived of a voice in this world. A criminal has had a life, has had the opportunity to use his life as he saw fit, and may, at some point, have to pay retribution for their choices. I, personally, would prefer they get life without chance of parole . . . ever and leave it at that. I do not want to mix the unborn with those having earned attention by their violent actions.

It is very sad to me that my relatives do attend church yet would continually jeopardize the lives of millions because they get stuck on a comparsion that doesn't really mesh with the reality. Apples and oranges can't really be compared as they are quite different fruits. Abortion and the death penalty can't really be compared as they are quite different - one deals with the innocent and the other deals with criminals. One has not choice and the other had a life time of choices.

Fun Finish to the Day . . .

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel from coast to coast without seeing anything."
-- Charles Kuralt

"Barnum was wrong - it's more like every 30 seconds."
-- Unknown

"Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives' mouths."
-- Bertrand Russell

Dinner Prep in PIctures!

Showing off my dinner workings of earlier in the week. All I had was tomatoes, canned chilies, some chicken, flour, and cheese . . . and I was able to turn it into dinner. The fun part was presenting a dish where I had made my own tortillas. Yes, a bit of effort but tastier and cheaper than the ones from the store . . . and I didn't have to make a trip to the store to obtain them. I posted that recipe and it is easy and a fun one to share when the children want time in the kitchen with you. My husband got one plate of leftovers before my son finished off the rest!

A culinary clue: When I made the sauce, I braised the cloves of garlic in a bit of olive oil until they were soft and golden and then ground them into the tomatoes before setting it all to simmer. It seems to take the bitter edge off the garlic and bring out the taste. I do that when I make garlic spread for bread, too. No vampires visiting our house! :-)

Completed Project!

My reason to 'be' is confirmed . . . I finished a long-standing project without mishap or mistake. Initially, I miscalculated the amount of fabric so had to shelve the project until coupons, sales, and a payday arrived and gave permission for a trip to the fabric store. Mission completed!

This is a Christmas tree skirt. You know, something to lay around the base of the tree to look pretty along with the gifts and to avoid that bare look when there is no longer any gifts sitting there. I decided to incorporate Our Lady of Guadeloupe into it. The colors on the 'showing' side just came together with the deep red contracting with the dark green and gold highlights here and there. I've always wanted to make one and finally took the time and effort to fulfill my ambition. Nope, not going under our tree. This is being offered on my Yahoo site. My sewing habit is supported by my sales.

Back to work now. I have a pile of quilts that need various stages of attention and it isn't often have a relatively free day in which to 'play' with my ideas and fabric. A Blessed Day!

A Fall Evening Meal . . .

We had one, crisp morning and I'm already getting excited about pulling out sweaters and getting to wear some of my cooler weather clothing. I'm tired of jeans, tee shirts, and sweating! I'm even more excited about it being comfortable enough to warm up the kitchen with hearty hot meals and bread baking in the oven. This is one of those meals that is usually popular and goes great on a cool, Fall evening. Hey, in California, if it goes down to 70 degrees at this time of the year, we start looking for sled dogs and parkas! :-)

Mexican Bean Soup
Vegetable oil (I prefer olive oil, myself)
1 large onion, chopped
6 peeled cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
1/4 cup flour
1 packet your favorite taco seasoning mix
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth
2 cups frozen corn, defrosted (You can use fresh corn if available)
1 1/2 cups canned white beans (usually come in 15 ounce cans), drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup canned diced chilies (hot or mild, your choice!)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 cup cilantro

Heat a bit of oil in a large pan and cook the onion and garlic until tender. Stir in the flour, seasoning mix, and gradually add in the milk until blended. Add everything else except the cilantro. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened. Add the cilantro and serve.

Ideas . . .
Some grated cheddar or favorite Mexican cheese on each serving is good.