The Muse’s 100th Blog Post Giveaway

Please go by a certain Muse’s page and help her reach her goal of 200 comments. If she reaches 200 by Tues. (tomorrow), she will donate $1000 to the American Cancer Society. This is an organization that I am deeply supportive of as many members of my family have had cancer. My Dad and my father-in-law are cancer survivors. You never know when this dreaded disease may rear its ugly head and change your family member’s life. I think this is a wonderful way for the Muse to celebrate her 100th post – all we have to do is help her celebrate by posting our comments.

I believe she is giving away other prizes, as well. Be sure to visit her blog at www.adivashammer.blogspot.com and help her out. At the present time the blog you should comment on is the 2nd one down the page and is titled “The Muse 100th Post Reaches For The Stars”.

I Said Yes....Now the Quest

Down upon bended knee,
My sweetie came to me.
Will you please be my bride,
Yes, I answered with great pride.
He pulled the ring from his pocket,
Shining, shimmering – a token of his love,
The diamond was my favorite,
The one I had dreamt of.
My mind overflowing with happiness,
My energy level is boundless.
We must get busy…make plans,
Where do we begin?
Let’s pick a date, a venue, a dress,
Oh my, I cannot rest!
Should we have a theme,
Or just follow our dream.
Full of ideas my mind is racing,
Around the room I was pacing.
Exhausted I fell into bed,
Tomorrow I’ll search at Delightfully Wed.

Debbie L Wahl

Choices

Fresh as the new fallen snow,
New beginnings offer many places to go.
Should I choose the path already blazed,
or the one twisted as a maze?
The passage lies before me beckoning come,
Luring with a taste of new found freedom.
Unknown territory, ventures galore,
knocking upon my door.
Be brave, be bold...
Who knows what the future holds.
Beginnings, endings, or somewhere in between,
All things are not meant to be seen.
Take a chance with the uncharted way,
This could be your very best day.
Embrace each moment as your last,
Regrets will never cloud the past.

Hope of the New Year

Count down…this is it!
Out with old – in with the new.
The kiss…oh the kiss,
The first of the year.
Tingling all the way to the toes,
My heart is aglow.
Full of friendship, laughter and love,
Cherishing all of the above.
Shouts abound welcoming the New Year.
Champagne corks bursting in air,
Boisterously singing Auld Lang Syne,
Fireworks lighting the midnight sky,
Giving hope to all that pass by.
A new beginning, a new life,
A new slate…fresh and clean,
God has granted us this chance,
Look above and seek His Love,
Guidance and Strength…

Debbie L Wahl

The New Year's Resolution

Should I or should I not? That’s not the hard part. I can make a New Year’s resolution, but can I stick with it and follow through? My intentions are good but my willpower is not always strong. As I was thinking about New Year’s resolutions, I begin wondering how they got started in the first place. So, I was off to do a little research.

I know that making a resolution is a time-honored tradition, a chance to start over, rid yourself of bad habits and have a fresh, positive outlook on life - but how did it all get started? The history of the resolution began over two thousand years ago. Our first month of the year is named after the mythical Roman King Janus, who is a two-faced symbol. His two faces do not represent hypocrisy, but they do represent the ability to look back on the past and look forward to the future. The Romans asked for forgiveness from their enemies in the celebration of the New Year.

I did not realize that the start of the New Year had been moved around and had not always been Jan. 1. Various people of the world have celebrate New Years on: the night of the first moon after the vernal equinox – the first day of spring, the winter solstice, and phases of the moon. There may be more so don’t take this as an all inclusive list. Even today, the New Year does not begin on Jan. 1 for all cultures. It does begin on Jan. 1 for people who use a 365-day solar calendar. Jan. 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 BC. For people using a lunar calendar with the phases based on the moon rather than the seasons, the new year begins at the time of the first full moon over the Far East after the sun enters Aquarius – sometime between January 19 and February 21. The New Year – new beginnings, a clean slate no matter how you celebrate or when your new year begins.

If you know of any interesting facts on how New Year’s resolutions got started, please feel free to add to this post.

Pumpkin Squares

24 single graham crackers, crushed
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted margarine

Mix graham cracker crumbs & sugar. Stir in melted margarine - pat in buttered 13x9x2 baking dish.

2 eggs
1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar

Beat eggs, sugar & cream cheese until fluffy. Pour over crust - bake 20 minutes. Cool.

1 (1 lb.) can pumpkin
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 c. water - cold

Beat pumpkin, egg yolks, sugar, milk & cinnamon in top of a double broiler. Cook over boiling water, stirring frequently until thick - aobut 8 minutes. Sprinkle gelatin on water in small saucepan. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Cool.

3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in sugar, continue beating until thick & glossy. Gently fold into cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour over (cooled) baked mixture. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Spread cool whip over the top of pumpkin mixture. Garnish with finely chopped pecans. Cut into squares.

This recipe was handed down to me from my mother-in-law. It is a family favorite and is a big hit any place I've ever taken it. There is not much baking to it. Hope you enjoy it!

Gobble 'Til You Wobble!

It’s that’s time of year. What does Thanksgiving mean to you? I take time to reflect on the many blessings I have received. I have much to be thankful for this year. My life has been enriched by the many people whose paths have crossed and intertwined with mine. I have experienced some sad times this year but even those have left me thinking that I have much to be thankful for. I have truly enjoyed a blessed life. I will continue to seek the joy in each and every day. I will spread it around whenever possible and help others along the way.

Some of the things I have to be thankful for (not necessarily in the correct order):

*God (and the freedom to worship in any way I choose)
*My family
*My friends (here and online)
*Love
*My health (and my family’s)
*My Dad’s steps in his recovery
*My son-in-law’s recuperation from his hunting accident
*Freedom
*The men and women who protect our country.
*Our home (warm and welcoming)
*That I don’t owe a large mortgage
*That I don’t owe large amounts of credit card bills
*My business is prospering
*Laughter
*Sunshine
*To be able to help others or to lift their spirits

Life is good and for that I am very thankful. Blessings to each and every one of you.

And remember Gobble ‘til you Wobble!!!! You can always diet the next day! If you are a Black Friday Shopper you will shop off all of those calories.