Message Board

I just realized that I need a post to put my notes; to organize lists, projects and life in general. If you’d like to leave a question or comment on any post,  you will need to click the top “Post Header” of the blog article you would like to comment on and it will take you to that screen.

If you want to ask me a quick genealogy question here is the post to do that!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Whether you believe you can or whether you believe you can’t, you’re right.”
-Henry Ford

~~~~ s M j ~~~~

 

Are you all set for Valentine’s Day?

What are some ways you plan for a Valentine’s Day?

If you’re like me in the morning, your body arrives in the kitchen a couple of cups of coffee before your brain makes an appearance, working on little to no sleep & I have so much planning to do today. I did start planning my Valentine evening last week, although I still not completely done, but I’m getting there. Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, but if you haven’t had a chance to think much about how you’ll make your loved ones feel loved. You should try surfing the net for more ideas; I did.

I know I’m using a red & white theme. I bought a huge lot from Pier1 & a few other things here & there. The menu is going to Chicken Alfredo, garlic bread, toss salad and sugar cookies for dessert. I bought Anthony gift(s) last week as well, so I’m ahead of the game. The hard part is trying to put it all together right before he comes. I need a trial run, I think.

I plan on using Netflix to order a movie to watch while we’re having dinner. What’s your favorite romantic movie? There are SO many romantic movies from which to choose, it’s a little hard to pick one. I do love “Sleepless in Seattle” & “When Harry Met Sally…” The storyline in “Love, Actually” with Colin Firth falling in love with his Portuguese assistant ranks right up there in sweetness & romance. You can’t argue against a classic like “Roman Holiday” or “Casablanca,” either. What’s your favorite romantic movie?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pinterest – For those of you who may not have heard of Pinterest, it is a brand new search engine for finding beautiful ideas around the web, and it allows you to photo-bookmark your favorites and pin them to your “bulletin boards”. Here’s my board for Valentine’s Day: http://pinterest.com/vvsfan/be-my-valentine/

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. ~ Elie Wiesel

 

You can never have too much “Sweet” on Valentine’s Day!

What’s the sweetest thing a sweetheart’s done for you? ♥

It’s the weekend before Valentine’s Day, & do you have anything special planned to celebrate? I’m planning to stay at home; A Valentine’s party for two, which will be fun, although I’m still searching for something heart-related to wear, but not anything too cheesy. I’ve searched high & low for some old things to make the dinner feel special. Sure, I could have gone anywhere & picked up some great looking dinnerware, but I wanted it to feel personal. Trying to gather a few old things from a round the house, then add some flowers.

Do you have special plans for a date, a party, a dinner, or anything like that?

Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought. ~ William Hazlitt

 

Happy Chocolate Day!

Word on the street is that today is Chocolate Day, so Happy Chocolate Day! I have no idea if this is really a real thing, but I’ll use any excuse to celebrate chocolate. Are you a chocoholic? What’s your favorite chocolate concoction? My standby is a chocolate, peanut butter, banana shake, and/or some chocolate covered strawberries, if I can get them. Hello, Winan’s Fine Chocolate and Coffees (that’s not a plug; it’s my favorite). And yours? Wipe off your chocolate milk (or mocha latte) mustache & share your chocolate faves with us…

Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money. ~ Jules Renard

 

Love songs…

… sentimental, cheesy, slow, heartfelt, all of the above. I’m listening to music as I write this, & thought about songs with special meaning. As we approach Valentine’s Day, what’s your favorite love song, the one that always makes you think of your special someone. Maybe it’s a 1st-dance-at-our-wedding song, or 1st-date, or whatever.

Mine & Anthony’s song, I’m sure that everyone knows it by now, its Conway Twitty’s version of “I’d Love To Lay You Down.” He sings it to me often. We play it over our two ways. Although it wasn’t our first song, I used to sing Donna Fargo’s “Somebody Special,” but somehow, we stopped listening to it. I still play it every now & then. I love to hear it. So I’m playing it while I write this. Sh… Don’t tell Anthony that I shared that. He’s a very private person and don’t like me to share the really personal stuff. But I have a tendency to share just about everything. I want my Grandchildren & their Grandchildren to know how much love they came from.

What song is love music to your ears?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Valentines Day Punch

INGREDIENTS
4 (12-oz.) bottles strawberry soda
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 quarts ginger ale, chilled
1 cup orange juice

DIRECTIONS
Freeze the strawberry soda in ice cube trays. Boil sugar and water for 5 minutes. Add fruit juice and chill. To serve, put cubes in punch bowl and pour juices over. Add ginger ale before serving.

Variation: To make a yellow punch for Easter, freeze mountain dew.

In each action we must look beyond the action at our past, present, and future state, and at others whom it affects, and see the relations of all those things. And then we shall be very cautious. ~ Blaise Pascal (19 Jun 1623 – 19 Aug 1662).

As scribed on a paper and always carried with him: “Fire. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers and the scholars.. Psalm 119:16:I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Amen.” ~ Blaise Pascal

 

Super Bowl plans

What are you doing for the big game on Sunday? Are you hosting a party, or attending one somewhere else? What’s your favorite food to make/eat at a Super Bowl gathering? Are you looking forward to seeing the ads more than the game? Or do you have something completely different planned for the day?

I’m not sure what we’re doing this year, I have no doubt we’ll be sitting on the couch & screaming at the TV. I know it won’t be sitting in the stands in Indy watching the game. I’ve never seen a Super Bowl live. I may have to add that to my bucket list. I do love to critic the ads; it’s almost my favorite part of the game. We don’t really have a dog in the fight, so I’m guessing; we’ll be rooting for whoever has the ball??? I can do that what a few appetizers, some comfort food & jammies. Go Team!

The words “I am…” are potent words. The thing you’re claiming has a way of reaching back and claiming you. ~ A. L. Kitselman

 

Happy Groundhog Day!

This is my daughter Mandy’s favorite Holiday. I think she just likes the fact that you don’t have to do anything for it. Are you happy or sad that the P. Phil saw his shadow & predicted 6 more weeks of winter? The winter here in Ohio has been pretty mild, so 6 more weeks of this weather don’t seem too terrible. I guess it depends on what will happen in those 6 weeks, though!

My old friend Kathy O’ went all out for it. I’ve never seen anyone decorate peanut-shaped sandwich cookies like groundhogs before, or bake a cake that looked like the ground with a dozen or so groundhogs with their heads popped out of woodchuck burrows or holes.  Her apron, earrings & even her socks were even dawning furry little ground hogs. I didn’t realize that she was a devoted varmint hunter. So to her & to my daughter, I say… “Hat’s off!”

Happy Groundhog – Happy Woodchuck Day – Happy Badger Day!

Learning from experience is a faculty almost never practiced. ~ Barbara Tuchman