Halloween, October 31, 2012

Halloween is absolutely the best holiday of the year. It is the favorite for many of us, as there is no stress, no overload, and no "Holiday Depression". It's just absolutely fun.

Straddling the line between fall and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’ Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.

I have celebrated over half a century of Halloweens with great joy since it is also my Birthday.  The best part of having a birthday on Halloween, as a kid, everyone had parties and it was like everyone celebrated my birthday.  Growing up in small town USA it was when we, kids got to enjoy all the home made candies and treats. Everyone’s family knew everyone else in small communities.

Ms. Hooks made the best Caramel Popcorn balls and you had to get to her house early to ensure you got one before she ran out.  Then it was off to hit all the other great cook’s in the small town for their homemade treats.   Today it is more commercial candy and we have gotten away from the fun of Halloween.  There are those that have made Halloween dangerous for kids and parents are not able to allow them to have the wholesome homemade products any longer due to these strange people.

Halloween should really be considered the kickoff holiday to the holiday season. We should embrace the holiday as the true end of summer and mid-autumn celebration.  It should be a time to rejoice for another productive year of harvest.  It should be a time to reflect on family, friends and life.

Halloween this year will be special for me not just because it is my birthday but I will get to spend it with family, adopted family, friends and a new home.  2013 is looking very promising.

Keep Dancin’  LB

Evaluate Your Life Day

This is a bit scary. It sounds just a little bit too serious for my liking. Well that is what Evaluate Your Life Day is all about and October 19^th is that day. And, what if I evaluate my life, and find out that I don't like it????

Well, for starters, you can then make positive changes.

Evaluate Your Life Day gives us the opportunity to pause and reflect upon our life, where it's been, and where it’s going. Come on be honest with yourself. Are things going well? What is bothering you? What do you need, or want, to change? How's your appearance? Are you gaining too much weight?

With a self-evaluation you can then make big changes to improve the quality of your life, as necessary. Or if things are going well, just tinker with small adjustments.

After doing my own self-evaluation, I am on the right path for myself physically. A few months ago, we started a weight watchers program to change our eating habits to a more healthy way of eating. We started an exercise program not to bulk up but simply get ourselves in better shape. After all we are not getting any younger and plan to be together for a very long time.

Okay, so the body is getting under control, what about the mind? I love reading and read approximately 2-4 books a month. Everything I have read states those that read books for enjoyment have fewer issues with dementia with aging. So okay brain seems to be okay.

I have a great professional life at this time. I have been fortunate to have had an interesting career with a great group of people. Although at times the job is stressful and the pressure from those higher up can seem so unappreciative and oppressive, I am blessed with a great boss that is very supportive. So check off Professional life as status quo, no major changes at this time.

I started an Internet business several years ago and the economy knocked us out of making any major achievement with our Gift Basket/Unique Gift venture. We reorganized and continue to struggle to make the right moves to make something of our company.  So there is always changes and education going on with this aspect of my life.

Moving on to my personal life self-evaluation, I have a loving caring family that support and believe in my abilities. I have a great relationship with my best friend. I have a new custom built home. I am living in the area of the country that is feels home to me. I am happy, content and could not ask for anything more.

Oh sure, winning the lottery, becoming financially secure would always be nice benefit for myself and family.  Until then, I will continue to make Evaluate Your Life Day to take a moment to see if there are any changes that I can do to ensure I am on the right path for myself, partner and family.

I believe that Evaluate Your Life Day is the beginning of a happier and healthier you! So why not take a moment and do your own self-evaluation.

Keep Dancing  LB

 

Cooking Tips That Can Work For Everyone

Paul and I started a diet and exercise program approximately 60 days ago. We have been doing a great job at changing our diet and eating healthier.  We cut back on the number of times we eat out and are doing more cooking at home with fresh produce.  It has been great getting back into researching new recipes and creating our own along the way. 

To date, we have lost 25 pounds each.  Along with the recipes, we have come across some helpful  tips along the way. So I thought I would put together a few articles focusing on cooking  that I think are good reminders if not new insight for others.

Whether you are teaching your children to cook or just looking for ways to maximize your own time in the kitchen, use these tips to help with meal preparation. Creating delicious and nutritious meals for yourself and your family can be easy and fun for everyone who is included in the cooking process.

When you are making homemade soups that contain meat, they tend to have a lot of fat that needs to be skimmed from the top. One quick solution to that problem is dropping in a couple of ice cubes. As the ice melts, the fat will stiffen around it and you will be able to remove it with ease.

You need to always season fish and meats as evenly as possible. Sprinkle seasoning like salt and pepper gingerly through the tips of your fingers as if they are snowflakes. This way, the grains don't get clumped together and the meats don't wind up without any seasoning in a few areas and too much in others.

To keep your burgers flat, indent the middle of the burger with your thumb, nearly leaving a hole, before frying or grilling the patties. As the meat draws up and shrinks while cooking, the indentation will close itself, leaving you with flat burgers instead of small patties with extra thick middles.

Slice garlic when you sauté it. Many people mince garlic. If you plan to sauté it in a pan, this might not be the best idea. When you sauté minced garlic it is likely to burn. If you cut the garlic into slices it cooks more thoroughly and without burning.

When sauteing ingredients in a fry pan ensure that you don't overcrowd the pan with too much food. Trying to cook too much at once will only lower the temperature of the pan and lead to steaming instead of browning. It is wiser to saute the ingredients in two separate batches, if necessary, and this will maintain the quality of cooking.

Leverage some or all of the tips in this article to help you prepare great meals for your family. Whether you are cooking a quick meal after a long day or a large meal for guests, use the tips provided in this article to best leverage your time and ingredients, in the kitchen. 

Keep Dancing  LB

Fall Activites in Clarksville, TN

As I stated in last week’s blog entry, this is one of my favorite times of the year. There is so much offered around town and the county that you can spend every chance you get out doors enjoying the cooler weather.

Paul and I spent a great evening Thursday of this week walking along the historical downtown Clarksville at the First Thursday Artwalk. This is where the local galleries stay open and show case local artist the first Thursday of the month. It was a beautiful fall evening here and the art was really fantastic. The picture is of  hand made wood roses we found last night.

This weekend we have our choice of either attending the Oktoberfest Saturday afternoon and evening or joining “Jazz on the Lawn” at the local Beachaven Winery.

We are constantly trying new adventures so when friends and family visit we can recommend different activities to make their visit memorable.

Later this month, we plan to attend Jammin’ in the Alley. We have a great little area called Strawberry Alley with Cafes, galleries and artsy shops. Every third Friday, they hold a great evening with local bands, dancing and the cafes open their doors and place tables outside for dining.

The drought and hot temperatures of the past summer are a fading memory but with the cooler evenings we are expected to see a great increase in fall colors earlier than normal. So we will be planning a drive out to ‘Land between the Lakes’ in the next few weeks to capture the great colors.  Land between the Lakes is exactly that the land between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. These are two the world’s largest man-made lakes created by the TVA building dams on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers.

Next on the agenda is to check out the local Theater productions, they are offering a great variety this year and the old Roxy Theater is just a historical landmark here in Clarksville it will be great spending time in such a grand old theater.

Well it is off to the ball park this evening, got to cheer our favorite “Dirt in the skirt” player-Christy and harass our favorite Umpire Richards.  It is church league night, we have to see how many leave their Jesus at home, and they tend to get very competitive on Friday nights.

Keep Dancin’  LB