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 | Mar 26, 2016
Life is truly precious. And beautiful days are days to celebrate.
I love being outdoors with my precious Yorkshire Terrier Diva. There is something about being outside, enjoying the flowers, blossoming trees and my vegetable garden.
It is important to dig in the dirt from time to time and to thoroughly enjoy the abundance nature has to offer. Diva enjoys being out in the sunshine and sniffing around. Also sitting with me on the patio.
I like to work on craft projects. Gluing paper together to make 3-D houses or pop-up pages for mini albums. I never outgrew that need to make stuff. Or the fascination of opening up a page that pops up.
I wonder if this comes from wanting things to be life-like. I find when looking at pictures, i want to go beyond the flat surface and make it third dimensional so I can actually see around it. I know many people put those dimensional dots on cutouts to make them stand out . . . and doors and windows are able to be opened . . . and there may be a scene behind it . . .
Spring is a wonderful time of year . . . it’s not too cold and it’s not too hot . . .
After Easter, we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day and Father’s Day . . . then we get into summer . . . and the Fourth of July . . . then we anticipate fall . . . and all the fun that season brings . . .
As many of you know, fall is my favorite time of year. I feel it is a new beginning, but it truth spring is that new beginning with the budding of fruits and vegetables that we’ll be enjoying through the summer and into the fall.
I guess we’re all geared a bit differently . . . . having a preference for different seasons and holidays. I do know many people who love Halloween and come alive with their creative genius in making mini albums and related craft projects. Some go with the spooky while others go with the sweetness of youth and the wonder of it all . . . and others do a bit of both . . .
And those who adore Christmas . . . that magical time of year . . . with the carols and the anticipation . . .
But, spring, I’m now beginning to appreciate more . . . the beauty of all the flowing trees and plants . . . the abundance of color springing forth . . . mild temperatures . . .
Then come the vacations of summer . . .
And that anticipation of fall . . . Sorry . . . that’s where the seasons seem to take me. I do enjoy the moments of each season . . . but my true love is fall and winter . . . those two popular holidays of Halloween and Christmas . . . and I do love Thanksgiving that it squeezed between . . . and I’m very fond of Easter, too.
Those “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer” with beach outings . . . picnics . . . camping . . . being carefree and fancy free . . .
Yes, each season has its advantages and its special moments . . . which you’ll notice centers around family . . . and friends.
Spring and summer seem to be the seasons of S’mores . . . but I make them the treat of all seasons . . . but there is something special about making them over an open fire . . . things “cooked” in nature seem to taste so very much better.
Whatever season is your favorite and however you celebrate traditional holidays and seasons, I would like to leave you with some links of jigsaw puzzles you and your family may enjoy:
Yes, I do go for the nostalgic . . . there are jigsaw puzzles available for all seasons and all things that are meaningful to you and your family. I find having a puzzle out, brings people together. It is a relaxing activity where you can visit, have a conversation and find pieces that will fit in completing the puzzle.
I do find them relaxing throughout the year.
Have a fun!
Sharon
by Sharon | Aug 25, 2015
Yes, I Talking About TwoCansOnAString.com
First, I didn’t think I had a niche for this website. I refer to it as “my fun website” or my “kitchen junk drawer.” And I do mean the last one quite favorably, because where would we be without a junk drawer for all those odds and ends we don’t know where to put otherwise.
I was writing a post today on one of my niche websites and it dawned on me that I do have a niche, of sorts. I share a lot of recipes and I do get into the holidays and share whatever is of interest to me. I love the free paper craft printables I share regularly. I’ve pretty much created a niche for myself. Just as others have done with their websites.
You see, we don’t fit neatly in a box and our websites are a reflection of that.
Second, I have many interests which are directed by what’s going on around me. Yes, I have broken my original TwoCansOnAString.com website into 4 niche markets, but this website is still eclectic. It’s kind of like Grandma’s attic. You never know what you’ll find.
I’m not sure what was so fascinating about Grandma’s attic. I loved climbing the stairs as a child. I also liked the opportunity of being invited into an area of the house where I wasn’t permitted to explore on my own. It may have been the stories. Everything seemed to have a story. It was best when my grandmother and her sister forgot I was there and they’d reminisce about their childhood and the funny antics of their brothers and even those of my father and uncle when they were growing up.
That’s what I want to bring to TwoCansOnAString.com, that sense of family and remembering all those precious moments of long ago and bring them forward to enjoy once again.
We do have our own stories that are unique to us, but there is that overlap where we do have memories in common centered around cooking, a holiday, a sound, a fragrance or special or not so special event. It’s that human connection that makes this website fun and special for me.
Third is the building of relationships. We haven’t met formally in person, but we do know one another by the time you’ve spent here. I’d know you a lot better if you’d leave me a comment, but I can still relate to you. We have made a bond of sorts. You come here to see what’s new — what I have to share with you.
It may be something you like or it may be something that doesn’t interest you at all. But, it is nevertheless a place where you come to visit for awhile. Where I share the weather, my precious Diva, random thoughts and things I found interesting.
I do like sharing recipes. Most of life is centered around food. What’s fun for me is making the recipes unique. Not just for me to share, but to imagine what ingredients you’d add or substitute. Or what pops into my mind . . . or yours for that matter that would make the recipe unique for you to share with your family.
I sometimes think about a can of something I bought and don’t know where to use it . . . then a recipe comes along that will work out nicely with that ingredient. This may not be the best way of selecting recipes, but it’s a good way to use what’s in your pantry or refrigerator.
Fourth, there’s the anticipation of holidays or the change of season and what can be learned from that. Just the other day I learned I’ve been using the term Indian Summer wrong.
It doesn’t bother me to be wrong. It’s an opportunity for me to learn something new and share it with you. Quite honestly, why are we online? Isn’t it to learn something new that we can then share with friends and family? That’s true for me and also for me to put here and on my other websites. I’m always wanting to add something new to my websites.
Today, I learned we may get some rain. I was a bit surprised when I went outside and saw that it was overcast and not as hot as was predicted a few days ago. I guess it is true, the best way to predict the weather is to go outside. Well, I’ll believe it’s raining when I experience it.
My websites are actually no different from the department or grocery stores that anticipate season change and upcoming holidays. Well, I don’t have inventory to put on the shelves and I didn’t have to place orders in advance, but I have been saving some posts to publish closer to the season.
This may surprise you, if you’ve been following this blog regularly. I’ve touched on Halloween and Christmas. Yes, it may be my excuse of giving you time to prepare, but you’ve probably guessed that it’s because I’m just like a kid — I can’t wait.
Fifth, I love paper crafts. I love printing them out, cutting them out, folding and gluing pieces in place. It amazes me how it does come together nicely. It’s also a good project to do with the kids. They’ll learn how to follow directions and in the end have something to show for their efforts.
Since we’re into Back-to-School mode, I wanted to add this great Skoolhouse from Ray Keim’s Haunted Dimensions. He also has some other great houses on his website you may enjoy printing out and making for a special Halloween display.
As I remember he has a lot of Disneyland/DisneyWorld buildings along with The Bates House from the old Alfred Hitchcock movie Psycho. There’s Amityville, too. And he has a new one of The Colonial Theater where the classic movie The Blog took place. These are all excellent, but I’m excited about the old Skoolhouse — although mine didn’t look like this, I can relate as you and your children can. School was a huge part of our lives and will be part of your children’s lives for quite a few years.
I was going to add a few more, but sometimes it’s best to stop before I go overboard.
Thanks you for stopping by and reading this post. Please leave me a comment.
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.
