November 9, 2011: Share the Memories Scrapbooking Software

I recently got some really cool new software, MyMemories, that makes it easy to create a digital scrapbook. If you’re not aware of how that works, you use your computer to create scrapbook pages. You can then share those pages electronically, or you can print them out and add them to an album – or have all your pages turned into an album through a printing service.

The beauty of digital scrapbooking is that it’s fool proof. If you make a mistake, you can just delete it! I used it to create the page above, which took me only a few minutes. It’s intuitive and easy to use – if you use Microsoft Word or Publisher, then you won’t have a problem using Share the Memories. The possibilities for customizing your pages are nearly endless and if you want more papers and embellishments than the basic software comes with, you can easily order additional Designer Packs.

I thought my readers who enjoyed my post on Tracy’s holiday scrapbook pictures would be interested in giving this MyMemories software a try. Go ahead and download the free Designer Pack shown below by clicking on the picture which you can use with any kind of software. And if you want to order the software (it makes a great gift!), just use code STMMMS98943 to receive a $10 discount, courtesy of me!

If you love scrapbooking at home, you're sure to love digital scrapbooking. Give it a try and tell me what you think.

February 7, 2011: Church Valentine’s Day Party Decorations and Games

As church secretary, I’ve been appointed the person in charge of this year’s Valentine’s Day potluck celebration at New Hope Christian Fellowship, along with my dear friend, Kathy. Yes, this is a usual and ordinary part of my job but I didn’t do it in 2010 (during my first year as secretary) since my daughter-in-law planned her baby shower for that weekend. I couldn’t miss the baby shower for my very first grandchild! So this is my first Valentine’s Day celebration where I’m in charge.

My pastor’s wife, Margaret, has some old games on pages we’ve copied over and over again through the years. She used to be an elementary school teacher and these are some of the games her kids would play for Valentine’s Day. The funny thing is that I looked online for suggestions, Googling “Valentine’s Day church games” and much of what I found was dual purpose: either for kids or Christians. Hmm… we may be church-goers, but we’re not children! So this year I’m opting for more adult-level games.

What have I got in store for our congregation? I’m in charge of games and this is what I’ve got so far:

• A glass jar decorated with hearts and filled with candy: challenge is to correctly guess how many pieces of candy are in it to win the jar with the candy.
• Valentine’s Day bingo: I found an online site (www.bingocardcreator.com) that allowed me to create and print 15 copies of a bingo card with such terms as “love”, “cupid”, etc. on the squares. I think I’ll need twice that amount of cards so I’ll make two copies of each and plan for two winners per round (that’s extra prizes we need to buy).
•  Valentine's Day crossword*
• Valentine’s Day word search*

• Valentine’s themed word ladder *
*These games can be found on http://holidays.kaboose.com/val-word.html - if you can get past the annoying auto-play video, there’s some good, albeit childish stuff here. Another one to try is http://puzzle-maker.com/.

We're on the hunt for tablecloths at thrift stores. To make things a bit more festive, we purchased some $1 packages of  large, cardstock Valentine’s confetti to sprinkle over the tables and a few packages of heart-decorated pencils.

This is a Valentine’s Day party recipe for decorating and fun on the cheap (since the church has a very small budget).

It's Not 'Happy Holidays', It's Merry Christmas

I rarely get one of those emails forwarded to 5,000 people that I share but this one really hit home. It is something my husband and I have long considered to be one of the biggest problem in society today. I truly believe that the "de-Christianizing" of American society is hampering America's efforts to once again become the great country founded hundreds of years ago.

So here goes:

‘Twas the month before Christmas
When all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying
Nor taking a stand.
See the PC Police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say
‘December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!
CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd! 
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
 At Lowe's the word Christmas - was nowhere to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason for the Christmas Season!

Even though money is tight I, for one, am looking forward to a Christmas tree with an angel on top, lots of decorations, and a creche with the baby Jesus that will take pride of place in my living room. So may I say in advance "Merry Christmas!"

Oh, and BTW - did you know our nation's capitol Christmas tree came from the forest right here in the White Mountains of Arizona?

If I Only Had a Brain

I would probably look something like this.

Honestly, with the weather getting colder and all the leaves turning color up here in the White Mountains, I have been more than ready to put up my fall decorations. It's not like I have a lot - I'm no Martha Stewart by any means - but I do have a few things I enjoy seeing each year, such as a collection of little stuffed cats wearing Halloween costumes. They are jointed and I can place them in different poses. Maybe that's kinda weird, but I love my Halloween kitties.

Anyway, I cannot for the life of me find my fall decorations. I have looked high and low, in closets, in sheds, in the spare bedroom - everywhere I can possible think of. But they are gone, simply gone.

I told my husband that someone must have broken into our house and took my autumn decor. This makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

To compensate for my lack of decorative items I decided to make a scarecrow with the straw I keep for lining the chickens' nesting box. I had a bag from flour, some old clothes I was going to give to charity, and a couple sticks, too. I put them all together and voila! a scarecrow was born.

Of course the only one who gets scared by Ms. Scarecrow is me, when I glance outside and seeing someone sitting in my front yard. Oh, if I only had a brain...

Valentine's Day - Worth the Hype?

Before Valentine’s Day became the Hallmark holiday now appropriate for all members of the family, it originated from the customs of the ancient Romans. Although the martyred Valentines (there were more than one) of the early centuries were honored for their religious contributions, by the 14th century another Saint Valentine came to be associated with romance. This connection is largely attributed to a couple short lines written by Geoffrey Chaucer (Hallmark should probably pay tribute to the man in appreciation - heck it would be another opportunity to sell cards!). The idea of February 14th being a day for romance then took off in Paris and by the 1800s the holiday of St. Valentine’s Day had spread across the globe.

If you’re married or in a relationship, Valentine’s Day can be oh so romantic – perhaps the day that special someone finally professes his love or produces the coveted engagement ring. Sometimes it’s just a great excuse for having a bout of wild and passionate sex. Of course the longer you’ve been married, the more likely it is that the honeymoon is over and the day may pass without much more than a peck on the cheek.

If you’re single and unattached, however, it can be nothing short of stressful. From the time we women have been little girls in grade school, we’ve known the humiliation of being the only one in class not to get any Valentine’s cards delivered to our cardboard ‘mailbox’. In high school, we may have been the unpopular girl who didn’t receive any of the balloon and flower grams sold by the cheerleading squad. By the time we began working, we might have been the only woman in the office who didn’t receive a delivery of flowers on the holiday.

I can remember some years when I’ve gone on fantastically romantic trips with the boyfriend du jour. I can also remember other years renting When Harry Met Sally and going through a pint of Chunky Monkey alone in the dark. I’ve got to admit, Valentine’s Day is not my favorite holiday. Any celebration in which my delight of it depends purely on the presence of a man in my life – honestly – really sucks.

So what do you think? Is Valentine’s Day a valid holiday or just another day when Hallmark and Brach’s and Teleflora make money hand over fist? Feel free to share your best, or worst, experiences.

It Never Snows in Arizona...

With my apologies to Hammond Albert:
It never snows in Arizona,
But girl don’t they warn ya,
It storms, man it storms.

There are those who hear “Arizona” and think “desert” automatically. They picture arid acres of saguaro cacti and palm trees amidst countryside of sand and low, rocky-topped mountains carved out of the rugged landscape.

If you have ever viewed the vast regional differences, you know that the state of Arizona features geologic designations from low desert on up to altitudes considered alpine. In fact, visitors to the Grand Canyon who approach from the northern edge and make their way down to the bottom of the canyon will go through no less than seven geologic zones and five of the seven life zones - Lower Sonoran, Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian - along their journey.

I happen to live in an area of eastern Arizona where a ridge of mountains spans the distance from my native New Mexico to the region referred to as the White Mountains on Arizona’s Mogollon Rim. The elevation here ranges anywhere from 6,000 to 8,500 feet above sea level and more. We have a ski area, Sunrise, which tops out at over 9,000 feet in elevation. This is no way – even remotely – a desert area!

For instance, recently I stepped out on my front porch at night in the sub-zero temperatures accompanying sunset to view the spectacular vista set out before me. A full moon illuminated a myriad of majestic pine trees, boughs laden with winter’s snowy bounty. Moonlight cast a blue glow over the pristinely white crystal blanket on the ground, creating a magical scene perfect for Santa’s Christmas Eve ride.

Unfortunately, those photos didn’t turn out but here are some from today’s snow storm. The tree is right outside my bedroom window and the other photo shows the ridge beyond our house (where all the Mogollon Indian pottery shards must surely be buried deep in the snow).

I guess I’m still a kid at heart when it comes to snow. I get excited when I see it and start thinking of snow angels and snowmen and chestnuts roasting on an open fire... The good thing is that staying warm inside while watching the flames in the stove and the big flakes float through the gray sky outdoors is a real boost to my creativity.

Luckily, we are expecting a foot or two of the white stuff in the next couple days. Christmas in the White Mountains is indeed a beautiful time of year.

Merry Christmas!

A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband, Part III

This time Bob and Bettina are getting ready for their first Thanksgiving holiday together in the continuing saga of “A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband (with Bettina’s Best Recipes)” by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron.

The weather is getting cold and Bob enjoys coming home to a nice, blazing fire.

Chapter 88: The Hickory Log (Bob arrives home at the end of his work day to be greeted by a ‘cheerful blaze’)
Bettina: “Isn’t the log burning well?”
Bob: “I wondered if we could use one of our new logs tonight – thought about it all the way home!
(Hmm, Bob gets kinkier and kinkier as time goes by with his new wife. Bill and Monica had their cigar, Bob and Bettina have their ‘log’ – burn, baby, burn)

Chapter 91: A Thanksgiving Dinner in the Country
(Bob and Bettina go to Aunt Lucy’s house for Thanksgiving)
Bettina, speaking to Bob about who will be there: “Thanksgiving seems more natural with children at the table, I think. And those are the liveliest, rosiest children!”
Aunt Lucy, directing the carving: “The children first, John.”
(Apparently the newlyweds have now resorted to cannibalism. Yum – rosy children for dinner’s first course!)

In case you were wondering, this was the menu for Thanksgiving back in Bob and Bettina’s time:
Turkey with Giblet Gravy
Oyster Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Creamed Onions
Cranberry Frappe
Bread and Butter, Celery
Plum Pudding with Hard Sauce (if you’ve never made plum pudding, it uses suet – yuck!)
Nuts and Raisins

Next up is Christmas with Bob and Bettina. Stay tuned…

When It Gets Cold, the Cold Get Baking

For me, autumn, winter, and the transition in between are the times when I settle in and do the most amount of baking and creative work. It’s a time to hunker down, accumulate dozens of bags of pellets for the heating stove, and stock up on food.

We got our first snow last Sunday night. While it rained down south of us, our afternoon rain/sleet quickly turned into snow when day finally melted into night.

We let the dogs out into the snow and there they frolicked and played. They are much like kids in that respect – can’t wait for that first season snow and leaping about in it.

As for me, I usually turn to the oven – not only to warm up the house but to warm up our very souls by serving comfort food. Isn’t that what cold weather is all about – comfort ford?

So here’s another recipe which I enjoy baking during these frosty nights and mornings. This is another old one, which I’ve kept in my arsenal of recipes for a good 30 years or so.

Apple Bars
1 ½ cups granola (any variety)
1 c. flour
½ c. sugar
½ c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ tsp cinnamon (optional – spices should go with the type of granola you use)
1 large apple, pared and chopped (any baking apple works fine)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease square pan, 8 x 8 x 2 inches.
Mix all ingredients except apple; reserve 1 cup dough.
Spread remaining dough in pan. Arrange apple pieces over dough in pan. Drop reserved dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto apple; spread slightly. Bake until golden brown and wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
High altitude directions: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Decrease sugar to 1/3 cup.

This recipe is easily doubled for baking in a 13 x 9 inch pan and makes a great Thanksgiving morning coffeecake. Enjoy!

Thanskgiving Dessert

My mother’s favorite holiday was Thanksgiving and it is my favorite, too.

When we were growing up in Wisconsin, Thanksgiving was spent at Grandma Roemer’s house. All the family from my father’s side would converge upon the old Wisconsin farm house. Women would cook and set the table while the men watched football. After dinner, the women would clean up the massive mess while the men played pinochle. Why did we get all the work and the males got all the play?

When we moved to New Mexico, Thanksgiving was a different affair for our little family far removed from extended members in Wisconsin. It was just the five of us plus whatever stray Mom invited. Mom always had a soft spot in her heart for anyone without family during the holidays and we welcomed each and every one as our own.
She would put on a big spread with the traditional turkey, stuffing, vegetables, rolls, and her trademark dessert, Pumpkin Chiffon Torte. I learned how to make Thanksgiving dinner from my mom, who thankfully passed down all her recipes before she passed on. To this day, I make my mother’s stuffing, turkey placed in the oven in the morning and basted all day, peas with pearl onions, and Pumpkin Chiffon Torte.

I have a real hard time spending the holiday with someone other than my immediate family and invited friends. Even though my son and my husband don’t care for Pumpkin Chiffon Torte (crazy men!) and argue about what sides I should serve, for the most part I continue Mom’s traditions.

And for those of who want it, here is the delectable recipe for Pumpkin Chiffon Torte:

Pumpkin Chiffon Torte

Crust:
2 cups flour
¼ tsp. salt
3 tbsp. white sugar
1 cup butter (damn the cholesterol, there is no substitute for real butter)

Mix together dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Cut in the butter with two knives. Press into bottom of 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan or sheet pan with sides. Bake at 375 degrees until brown, about five to ten minutes. Take out and cool.

Filling:
2 envelopes Knox gelatin
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I usually use at least 1 tbsp. and this is nothing more than cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger)
6 eggs, separated
1 ½ cups milk (at least 2% but whole preferred)
2 ½ cups canned pumpkin (a single large can of canned pumpkin is fine, no need to measure, just dump it all in)
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped (no sugar added)

In a medium saucepan, combine gelatin, brown sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir together egg yolks and milk and add to gelatin mixture (I just do this all in the same saucepan, stirring the wet ingredients into the dry).

Cook at medium heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Depending on your altitude this can take anywhere from 10 to about 20 minutes.


Take the pan off the burner and add the canned pumpkin. Chill in the fridge for a couple hours.
Beat the egg whites (which should be at room temperature), adding one at a time to a mixing bowl with mixer on high speed; add sugar. Beat until frothy (and this is an art, because if you beat for too little or too long, the recipe will fail).

Now fold all these ingredients together. Start with the dense pumpkin mixture in a large mixing bowl, carefully fold in the egg whites, and lastly the whipped cream. Spread this mixture atop the cooled crust and refrigerate for at least overnight (I always make this the night before Thanksgiving). When serving, add a dollop of real whipped cream atop each slice. Yum!

Holiday Treats

Just in time for the holidays, the Champagne Authors collaborative blog, The Writer's Vineyard, is featuring a different short story daily in the months of November and December. Some of the stories are excerpts from great books available for purchase while others are original, yet-to-be-published vignettes. My own contribution is an original short story which gives a hint at the plot to GOLDEN ENCHANTMENT's sequel, CHASING ENCHANTMENT. It involves the gorgeous, sexy, Kent McCabe, the ex-Texas Ranger and best friend to Jake Houston, the hero of GOLDEN ENCHANTMENT.

Other fantastic authors who are contributing to this event are Ciara Gold, Gemma Halliday, Margaret Moore, Barbara Baldwin, and a host of other talented writers in all genres.

Visit the blog throughout November and December for a variety of opportunities to win some fabulous prizes.

A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband, Part II

Let’s take another look at Bob and Bettina in the continuing saga of “A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband (with Bettina’s Best Recipes)” by Louise Bennett Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron.

Just like real life, the newlyweds are going through their first year of holidays. With Halloween coming up soon, let’s see how Bob and Bettina are getting ready and how they are going to entertain their friends.

Chapter 72: And Where Was the Dinner? (Bob arrives home, can’t find Bettina and does not smell his dinner cooking)

Bettina: “Dinner will be ready in half an hour.”

Bob: “Half an hour? But, Bettina, where is the dinner. I didn’t see any!

Bettina: “In the fireless cooker, you crazy boy! Are you ’most starved?” (I finally figured out a fireless cooker is a crockpot. Who’dve thunk it? Electricity is really an amazing thing, isn't it?)

Bob: “That cooker was the neatest, stiffest-looking thing in the kitchen!” (Uh oh, the pain of erectile dysfunction already!)

Chapter 73: The Dixons Come To Dinner

Bettina, speaking to her friend Charlotte who wants to know how she stays so organized: “Planning the meals seems simple, but it really requires a lot of thinking sometimes.” (That Bettina was never meant to be a rocket scientist, was she? Oops, I forgot, this book was published in a time when planning meals was the most important part of their existence. Sheesh!)

Chapter 75: Halloween Preparations

Bettina (to Bob): “I feel the same old Hallowe’en thrill that I used to, years ago when I turn around suddenly and see a jack-o’-lantern grinning in the window! Don’t you love them?”

Bob: “Those are the Stewart children.” (Wow, one can only wonder what the Stewart kids’ parents look like if they resemble Pumpkinhead. I'm thinking one of them must be Michael Myers' grandparent). “You girls ought to give at least an imitation of a shriek apiece. You don’t have ladylike nerves at all!”

(I bet if Bob pulled out a knife and started chasing “the girls” around the room, they’d shriek, in a very ladylike manner, of course)

Chapter 76: Hallowe’en Revels (as the newlywed’s first Halloween party begins)

“The two witches, who were evidently the hostesses, commenced a weird chant in a minor key.” (Only several months married and Bettina has already turned into a witch in Bob’s eyes, apparently) “The male ghosts, three in number, immediately took up the music, if it could be so called, howling in loud and uncanny tones.” (What, only chanting in major keys can be called music?)

An interesting thing about Bob and Bettina’s party is that they toasted marshmallows over candles, and played a game with a swinging doughnut. Instead of “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” it was “Pin the Tail on the Black Cat”.

Sounds like a real lively party. If you're five years old, that is.

Until our next adventures with Bob and Bettina, Happy Halloween!