by Sharon | Apr 11, 2016
We all seem to have a favorite holiday or holiday season.
The most popular are Halloween and Christmas in that order.
I do have a website of haunted stuff with ghost stories. I love them, as many do. I also have one of Christmas. Then, there’s this one that allows me to celebrate the holidays as they come. And, you may have noticed how I really do get into Halloween . . . it is my favorite season.
I’m not into the real creepy stuff with the violent make-up and gross food. It’s interesting how make-up can be applied to scare the living daylights out of you . . . I admire it, but it’s not something I would do.
If Halloween is for children, I’d go for the more mild fun stuff . . . but to each his/her own.
Yes, there is definitely humor in being scared . . . and children running around at night in costumes gathering sweet treats is all about the fun . . . yet, the idea of being out at night . . . the lit pumpkins with scary faces . . . the decorations of tomb stones . . . and witches, ghosts, skeletons and other scary stuff heightens the imagination.
Also going to the doors of stranger’s houses is a scary activity.
For me, it is about the children and their enthusiasm of getting all dressed up and going door to door collecting candy. And, if they scare each other along the way, it’s all in fun.
I love that parents are with their children. Some dress up in costume, too. Or, they’re with older siblings. Times have, unfortunately, changed and we need to make sure children have a safe Halloween experience.
Many people opt to have parties in their homes rather than allowing the kids to go out . . . this works out well. It is fun to gather friends together and have fun and games and maybe watch a Halloween DVD . . . and, of course, have some delicious food . . . it may look a little odd, but the taste is wonderful.
I haven’t noticed as many Christmas Carolers.
I’d love to hear them sing . . . going door to door.
One neighborhood church would have young and old alike singing carols throughout the neighborhood. You could join them, if you wanted to. It would turn into a rather large group.
Then, we’d have an impromptu pot luck dinner. We’d all contribute and share the news of the families. It was a nice way of getting caught up on marriages and births, graduations and jobs . . . we seemed to keep up with the sorrow of death . . . but it was a time of letting neighbors know we do care . . .
I enjoyed listening to the stories of different families . . . some could trace their ancestry way back . . . This was good for everyone to hear and there were history lessons involved, too. You had to understand the times, to understand the hardships and the joys . . . how how certain traditions developed and are practiced today.
Each and every one of us has a history . . . a story to tell . . . maybe about our ancestry . . . and our own story . . . from humble beginnings . . . and the opportunities we were given . . . and the decisions we’ve made . . . all shaping the life we now live.
Whatever, holiday or holiday season you enjoy . . . it’s wonderful to be with family and friends . . . and to share what you can about life and aspirations.
We all have a life and aspirations . . . it’s interesting to see how things work out.
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 9, 2016
Spring must be the season for egg salad sandwiches — at least at my house.
I’m sure they’re popular throughout the year.
There is something about these sandwiches that definitely hit the spot on a beautiful spring day.
This recipe may be the reason why I’m thrilled about egg salad sandwiches. Try it and see for yourself.
Ingredients:
- 6 hard boiled eggs diced up in nice bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 2 1/2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- You may want to add salt to taste
Directions:
- To boil the eggs: Place them in a single layer in a heavy sauce pan and cover with cold water — about an inch. Add a teaspoon of salt. Leave the pot uncovered and turn the heat to high. As soon as the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and cover. Leave it like this for about 10 minutes before removing the cover. Next take the sauce pan with the eggs over to the sink and run cold water over the eggs for a minute.
- Next you’ll need to crack and peel the eggs, dice them and follow the list of ingredients.
- Combine all the ingredients and chill before making into sandwiches.
Some people add lettuce or spinach to their sandwich.
However, you make them, enjoy.
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 8, 2016
Too Often Our Thoughts Aren’t For Our Benefit
I’ve had days when I’d rather stay home than run errands.
I was sitting and thinking about all the things I needed to do. Then, I suddenly got up, walked out the door, into my car and drove off. It seemed as though my thoughts were leading me in the direction I needed to go in order to get the various tasks accomplished.
I had a good morning, taking care of things I’d put off . . . just because my thoughts weren’t working with me.
Yes, it was cloudy and wet . . . but, quite honestly, I didn’t notice it. I was on a mission.
Sometimes we do need to let go of our imagined fears and move past them.
I found this great site where you can make an envelope and fill it with Best Thoughts. There are some you can print out and there are some that are blank so you can write out your own Best Thoughts.
They could be favorite quotes or Bible Verses. They could even be affirmations you find uplifting. It’s about allowing your mind to get you out of a rut . . . of deciding to not let troubles and sorrows get you down. This may allow you to think on the more positive side . . . your troubles and sorrows won’t disappear over night . . . but how you perceive them may . . . maybe not overnight, but with persistence . . . soon.
Some may believe this is magical thinking. In a way, I suppose it is. We dwell on things . . . some good and others . . .
Our thoughts help us make decisions . . . getting down to the basics of the situation, rather than all the extras that are there complicating it.
I was watching a movie about a woman who reached a cross roads . . . she was given an opportunity to teach at a prestigious college and have her book published. When this opportunity was presented to her, she also received a proposal of marriage from her long-term boyfriend.
She met him for dinner. She was bursting with news . . . and he was concentrating on his proposal and the life they would share together.
Well, in the movies there is conflict, otherwise there wouldn’t be a story. And in the story, it was all figuring out what to do . . .
There are ways of approaching such a situation . . . and there are many movies with this theme . . . either the man or the woman is given an opportunity of a lifetime . . .
These cards may allow you to think through your priorities without hurting anyone or yourself in the process.
There are many lessons to learn in life . . . many opportunities lost . . . many taken, leading to others . . . or to heartbreak . . .
Life is full of those ups and downs.
It may be worthwhile to sit quietly each day with Best Thoughts to help you either through those downs or assist you in preventing unnecessary ones.
It’s worth a try . . . just click here and you can print out the envelop and the cards . . . and print out plenty of the blank ones to write out your own best thoughts . . .
I find those to be more meaningful to me.
And these may be helpful to a friend . . . it wouldn’t hurt to share this with them.
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 7, 2016
Wouldn’t it be lovely to create easy 3-D Haunted Houses?
These would look lovely on a mantle or in a bookcase . . . with those battery operated tea lights to shine through the windows . . . yes, you will have to cut out the windows . . . 
Ray O’Bannon has a nice collection of Mini Haunted Houses that you’ll be able to put together quickly and easily . . . He has two sets that would make a lovely display for your next evening of telling ghost stories with family and friends.
You may even enjoy putting these together with them . . . one of these houses may remind them of an old house in their old neighborhood . . . or on the outskirts of town . . . 
I remember some houses that were built . . . and the project abandoned due to lack of funds . . . it gave me an eerie feeling . . . like I was in the Twilight Zone . . . I could image aliens visiting the place . . . No way would I live out there . . . they couldn’t give me the house . . . yes, it was that creepy . . . and I was seeing it in the day time . . . whoa . . . what would it have been like at night . . . maybe strange creatures would have been roaming around . . .
I don’t know whatever became of that abandoned construction site . . . maybe it has been built up . . . and people are living there . . . It may be a lovely neighborhood . . . or creepy . . .
Just click the images and you’ll be set to print out these mini houses . . . You can decorate them . . . they do look rather unfriendly . . . even the bats and ravens aren’t around. All you need is a graveyard . . . or some headstones . . . with lights and the right sound track, you could scare the wits out of your guests . . . add to that the recollection of every scary movie, book and personal experience you’ve had and you’ll be hiding under the covers . . .
It’s easy to creep yourself out . . . and I think these mini houses would do the trick . . .
I remember reading a story about a man who had a huge house and his relatives thought it was the best place to go for a vacation, because he had plenty of room . . .
He didn’t like the idea and they didn’t take the hint that they weren’t welcome . . . so he got some workmen together to change the windows and the railing to look like a scary jack-o-lantern so when his relatives drove up to the place from a distance at night it may scare them away.
Well, it didn’t happen . . . because the relatives thought the old man who built the house had some hidden treasure inside . . . someplace . . . and year after year, those relatives would come and search . . .
I think it was fiction . . . but you never know . . . it could have been based on factual events, but the author didn’t want to get sued by the greedy relatives . . .
But, these mini houses and my true account of the abandoned housing development brings chills running down my spine . . . I could have that creepy place sitting on my coffee table . . .
Or, more importantly, you can have it right in the privacy of your very own house . . . you may not need all of the houses . . . just pick your favorite and see how you feel about it . . . maybe add some embellishments . . . or creepy creatures . . . maybe add a hearse or grave stones . . . maybe put something scary in the window . . .
We honestly don’t know what’s sneaking around in the dark after we close our blinds and are settled in for the night . . . My neighborhood gets a bit creepy . . . so silent . . . We have very dim street lights . . . they cast very little light or shadow, but whatever it does doesn’t invite you to take a midnight stroll . . .
It is a nice setting for Halloween trick-or-treats . . . but when the children are gone and the porch lights go out . . . the quiet is deafening . . .
Yes, these mini houses could bring out that feeling of desolation, isolation . . . something watching . . . waiting . . . watching and waiting . . .
Well, have fun with these houses . . . make a set or two . . . or just a couple of them . . . I know, you’ll eventually make them all . . .
Until next time,
Sharon
by Sharon | Apr 7, 2016
What?
It’s about technique . . . paying attention to detail.
The image at the right is all about layering. It’s the folding and the 3-D effect that makes the image pop out. I do study a lot of “how to” videos in the realm of paper crafts. There is a steady flow of “adding dimension” with pop dots . . . or adding ribbon and bows . . . but no one takes the time to cut a piece out and make each element stand out . . . by using paper.
Or is it the boldness of the colors? There is shading, but there is definite dimension with the curl and curve of the paper.
I guess I do like art deco . . . and I like to make 3-D images . . . is it worth the work?
There is an expression that if anything is worth doing, it is worth doing right. So, with that in mind, maybe short cuts just don’t cut it . . .
We are in an age of immediate gratification. We’re in a hurry . . . we buy things that will make our jobs easier . . . it is all about progress . . . but have we been missing the details?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about priorities.
And trying to figure out what is truly important.
The image above may not wow you as it did me . . . or it may have . . . and we may reach the same conclusion . . . it’s a lot of work . . . no one would pay what it would cost to create . . . especially if they wanted a dozen or more invitations in this style. Yes, it could be automated on my part to a degree, but it would still take a long time to create. For each one, I would have to pay attention to detail.
It’s like a master chef creating the presentation on the plate . . .
Do we pay attention to the details? Is all this effort even noticed?
Are we in such a hurry that we miss the details? Do we have the time to look?
Everyday is an adventure of detail . . . the flowers in our gardens . . . how they bloom, blossom, then slowly die out . . . bringing new growth . . . When do we notice that the wood on our fence or gate is deteriorating? Usually when it is falling apart and we’re forced to notice it to have it replaced.
We do take so many things for granted . . . until they no longer work . . .
Attention to detail is something I think I’ll be noticing for awhile . . . I don’t want spring to pass me by without noticing it, admiring it and basking in it.
Just a thought.
Sharon
Yes, there is definitely humor in being scared . . . and children running around at night in costumes gathering sweet treats is all about the fun . . . yet, the idea of being out at night . . . the lit pumpkins with scary faces . . . the decorations of tomb stones . . . and witches, ghosts, skeletons and other scary stuff heightens the imagination.
