Georgia Peach (Milly) and her beautiful cocker spaniel dog, Peaches, December 1982. Those ornaments on the tree were hand-made by me in December 1977 when we lived at Parris Is., SC. Those were the days...long gone...but not forgotten.

Old Love

I am sitting here listening to the song my husband and I had played at our wedding 15 years ago. It is the most beautiful love song I have ever heard. It is "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait. It is from his movie, "Pure Country". We have been down a long trail together with many changes, some wanted, most just happened without our knowledge. I wish we could go back to where we were in 2005. Sadly, you can't go home again. It gets complicated. I thought this third time down the marriage walk was the real thing.It seemed to be a good idea at the time. I wonder if I know what is the normal thing or if there is such a thing as normal. It is worth of bit of pondering but I have gone from mellow to morose and it is time to stop. You can love more than one man at a time. It just depends on the degree/depth of the feelings and why. My advice, look long, have a long engagement, and carefully ask his friends and exs about him. Sometimes, we change for someone new but most of the time the changes are just on surface. God bless you and yours.

Trim a tree, cook and make crafts like a pro without blowing your top from stress!

Ready to put up and decorate that all important perfect Christmas tree. Here are a few tips to make it a smooth transition. A little prior planning prevents a poor performance.




1. Decide if you want an artificial tree or a real tree.

2. Once the decision is made, what color do you prefer.

3. Artificial trees must be assembled using the specific
diagrams in the box. Each set of pieces should be set
separately on the floor of the room where you the tree.

4. Be sure to use several old blankets or sheets spread on the floor to protect it and for easy cleanup.

5. If Dad is not handy with tools, find someone who can
help you with the cutting of the tree limbs and trunk
if needed on a live tree.

6. You can buy a tree stand with a bowl at the bottom to
replenish the water for the trunk end each day. If the
tree is large, be sure to buy a sturdy tree holder with
steady legs. Assemble all the tools you will need in
one area near the tree and extension cords, if needed.

7. Before buying your tree. Measure the height you want
it to be with a metal extended ruler, be sure to allow
5 or 6 inches more for the tree stand. Now measure the
circumference you want for the tree. IE-7 feet by 10
around it where end of branches will be. Take it w/you.

8. Be sure the tree will not be located near an open heat
source or obstruct an inside or outside doorway. It
should work with the normal traffic flow in your home.

9. You will need at least a 4 foot sturdy step ladder to
help you in setting in the artificial branches at the
top and middle of the tree if very tall. Always have
someone available to help you while on the ladder or
rig a tool belt to hold the branches as you work
around the tree inserting the branches and shaping
them.

10. The light strings are attached next from the back of
the tree near the electrical outlet and working from
the inside out and around the tree with each light
string.The decorations are attached in the same manner
from the back inside to outside around the tree. You
can mix the ornament colors, shapes and sizes as you
desire. If you are placing icicles on the tree, do
this after all decorations have been placed on the
tree. Place them on by hand from the outside in
at the spaces you desire. Use the ladder to place
the star or Santa or large ornament of your choice on
the tree. If you use Christmas tree picks. Use them
sparingly in strategic places. Do not overload a
small tree and do not under decorate a large tree.
If you use long wired ribbons on the length of you
tree, you can put the on before or after to attach
the icicles. I would not use over 4 wired ribbons on
a large tree, 2 front sides and 2 back sides. Maybe,
3 on a small tree.

11. Water you tree in the stand cup up to the amount
specified in the directions or at least 2 inches up
the trunk end. Check the water daily.

12. Fold up or roll up the sheet or light blanket under
the tree and cover with a purchased or homemade tree
skirt. Fold up the blanket or sheet over the tools
paper etc. leftover and carry out side to the garage
or porch. You can easily remove the tools and trash
which is no longer needed.

Place the tree box and
decoration boxes inside the tree box with the sheet
and keep until ready to remove tree. You can store
your items from the tree in their original cartons
or use plastic store bags or gallon baggies. Remove
the decorations in the reverse order they were
on the tree. Work from the outside into the tree.
Wrap the glass ornaments in old newspaper or plastic
bags with tissue papers.

13. Put the undecorated tree on the blanket, wrap and take
out to the trash dump or tree chipper where provided.

14. This method will take a great deal of stress out
the tree trimmings and disposal. If you can get a
few friendly "elves" to help you prepare a hearty
snack for them to enjoy while the work is being done.

If a live tree, trim the trunk and branches as needed outside your house. Install the tree stand while the tree is on its side. Make sure it is secure and capable of holding the tree, especially if a large one. You can spray the tree with a non-flammable extra-strength large pump size hair spray to fortify the needle and give a shine to the tree. Once it dries, check to be sure you like the look, if not, spray lightly with a water hose to remove. Let it dry completely before bringing into the home. Put the tree on a sheet, blanket, or painter drip cloth, fold over and bring the tree into the house stump first to avoid breaking branches.

Tips: If you run out of ornament hangars, use reworked paper clips, if working with thin, glass ornaments, you might want to put and extra blanket around the tree in the event of them falling and possibly breaking. Make sure everyone helping you has shoes on their feet. Clean up any broken glass shards immediately.

Children can help make ornaments by taking different colored tissue paper, cutting into 1`-4" width, 4 inch length strips. Fold over into 1" strips and place a bobby pin in the center. Fan out the strip layers to make flowers and clip to tree. They can use different color Kleenex tissues. Always place this ornaments away from the tree lights. It takes a little work to learn how to make the flowers and practice makes perfect.

You can make a wreath for the front door by taking a sturdy coat hanger, undo the top where curve is bend out or hammer into a circle, leaving the hook attached. Re-attach to top of hook. Buy two or 3, 5 or 6 feet of different colored garland at the Dollar Store or Wal-Mart. Sort of plait or rollthem to together and string onto the circle hanger. Cover the top with and end piece and glue together. Add home-made ornaments or cut Christmas tree spikes, spray painted pine cones or glue pieces of pine cones onto the garland with super glue, hot glue gun, if an adult does it. You can bend coat hanger wires into tree shape with pliers and place inside the bigger wreath with a tie wrap or little loop of the floral wire. Wrap the tree wire with a green garland and glue on felt ornaments or tiny colored marbles with yellow felt star at the top. Use your wonderful brain and imagination. Please post any tips you may have for us!

You could place a small Santa or Angel at the bottom center. You could use other small stuffed animals, birds or reindeer as well. Spray with heavy hold gel hair spray to keep the water and sun damage to a minimum. You can take heavy felt. 1 yard-60" wide, makes many patterns.Cut out shapes. Place Elmer's glue on the front of the shape and sprinkle dazzles or sparkles on the glue. The glue will turn the color of the sparkles.

You can do the same with the parts of the pine cones. Just use the top part of little pine cones and put a dab of Elmer Glue on each leaf like part and sprinkle away. Super glue or hot glue to the garland. You can buy ribbon at the Dollar Store with or without the wire (Shop now, don't wait) and make a ribbon/bow over the hanger hook part.

Use a wreath hanger from Dollar Store to attach to the doors. The ideas are endless. You can do this with picture frames for gifts, clean and pretty rocks for paper weights. A piece of cleaned and dried drift wood with painted shells and a fisherman Santa in a little boat. A vase decorated with the colored glass and marbles at the Dollar Store or Arts and Crafts store. You can decorate window panes with a collage of the rocks or by the stain window packages.

I am making Christmas Carols Cd's for the grandkids teachers using my different colored Lightscribe CD's and adding a winter scene. The Lightscribe takes about 25 minutes to laser the label and you can add text and photos to most of them, if you like. It is the music I have bought. I can make DVD's the same way with old copyright expired movies downloaded from the internet from Hula or Bitorrent sites. Search the internet and be sure your Bit Torrent site is safe for your computer and network. Ask someone to help you decide if you are not familiar with how to check the security.

It looks exactly like a purchased DVD with room for " play, scenes and notes." You can put at least two old movies on one DVD and many photos of the family or friends, pets, scenes of which you took the photos. IE: Weddings, vacations, reunions, school activities. Lightscribe technology is on most new computer or you can buy a USB stand alone Lightscribe drive. Just be sure you have the right specs on your computer to accommodate the Lightscribe hardware and software. Ask before you buy.

Want to make quick Christmas cookies. Buy the rolled cookie dough from Pillsbury. Let it cool in refrigerator. Roll out on lightly floured surface (piece of tin foil works) to about 1/4 inch thick. Use floured cookie cutters. Paint with yolk egg wash with a little food coloring added. One egg yolk makes up to six different color combos. Use a clean little art paint brush, a cup of water to dip brush when changing colors, put on sprinkles, sugar, sparkles, place on tin foil lined baking sheet and cook according to directions.

My grand baby spent almost two hours painting and decorating and rolling out her master pieces last week. She worked on a sheet of tinfoil and paper towels; clean up was a breeze. My grandson was ready to get his hands in the cookies as soon as they came out of the oven. She did share her prizes with everyone. You can use M&M on the chocolate cookie dough when you slice them from the roll about 1/4 inch thick. Tiny marshmallows cut in half are worth a try. You can roll out the dough but has bumpy chunks in it. They might make animal shapes by hand if lightly worked into them with dash of flour on your fingers. You could use the M&Ms as buttons and eyes. PLEASE remember to use only eatable items for decorations on cookies and cakes, etc.

Happy Safe and Merry Holidays to everyone! We had a little snow in Atlanta area today and more is one the way. Brrrr-Savannah looks better and better every day.
Thanks for letting me share these ideas with you in the interest of saving time, money and in giving a priceless one of a kind gift to someone only you can make. My children and now my grandkids love make gifts and crafts for themselves and others. You can email this to yourself or print out by highlighted selection.

Have fun! Enjoy and spread the mana on the water! GA Peach

Black & White Marbled Sheet Cake Recipe

This is a fab cake and icing combo. You can use orange and green sprinkles for Halloween on top before icing loses its shine and is set. I use a glass baking dish. If you use a heavier and darker metal or stone pan, it may over-cook on the edges before the middle cooks completely. Check the cake after about 15 minutes,if it is browning too fast, adjust heat down a little. This cake makes about 22-24 2" square party servings. It has that great homemade taste. Be sure to stir a little of the 1 tsp. of baking soda (about 1/4 tsp.) into the sour cream and set it aside to ferment a few minutes before adding to the cake mixture. My favorite aunt taught me that tip when baking sour cream cakes.

Black and White Marble Sheet Cake

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 tbsp water, hot
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream (regular or low fat)
1 cup milk (whole or low fat)

Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. (I use Baker's Joy spray or just plain original Crisco spray for coating the baking pan/dish. If you use butter, it might burn cake on the sides & bottom.) You can use a little shortening, like Crisco, if desired. USE a small 4 x 6 wedge of parchment paper or wax paper to spread the shortening with your hand evenly over the inner surface of the baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cocoa powder, hot water and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk to combine and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla and sour cream. Working in two or three additions, alternate adding flour mixture and milk to butter mixture (ending with addition of flour), mixing until no streaks of flour remain.

Scoop out 1 cup of cake batter and stir into cocoa mixture.
Spread white batter into prepared pan. Top with chocolate batter and drag a knife through to create a swirling pattern (don’t over marble, though!).

Bake for 32-36 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup milk (lowfat is fine)
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
2-3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine sugar and cocoa in a medium saucepan and whisk until cocoa is dissolved. Add butter, milk, corn syrup and salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil (about 10 minutes). Continue boiling; stirring occasionally, for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature (approx 1 hour). Beat in powdered sugar and vanilla and pour on cake. Frosting will spread easily and will set up itself after a few minutes.

Enjoy! Peach

Bank America buys China stock with their recent bailout, huh?

Have the people in DC been drinking polluted water from the Potomac River to allow this to happen. Where are the guidlines and watchdogs over the enormous bailout of the lenders and housing market? Americans need to get off their asses and get some answers pronto!@

You can follow the link, if you like. It is an eye-opener.
Bail-Out, Hand-Out, Hobo-BOGO, thanks to the taxpayers! See your money at work for the good of our country. HUH?

DC says we can like it or else? I don't. What is wrong with this scenario is a more likely question.

Bank give millions to China in bailout money

Red Rover, Red Rover send dat turkey or ham on over!

To all my blogging buddies and friends on this site and those in Savannah and outlying areas who know me and my blogging name on this site. I cherish and treasure each of you as a lifeline ,if I am in need, and a listening poster if you ever need anything. I wanted to write this in my own words but this author said it all for me.

Please have a blessed day with your family and friends and save up some funny and warm stories to relate in the next few days about your family, foods, fun, and general feeling of happiness and relief as things get back to normal and a rest period before our Christ's birth celebrated on December 25th each year. Take photos and post them for us to enjoy.

I ask you all to be extra careful, if you are driving and if flying, please give yourselves plenty of time to reach the airport for your return trips. Hug and love and kiss your family and friends as much as possible enjoy them as they are giving the gifts of themselves to you and you to them. If you are battling the Black Friday at retailers wear heavy shoes and socks, band aids on your elbows, no heavy coats just lots of pull over sweaters, have your list of gifts wanted outlined by the store departments locations and keep you money in your front pants pocket, don't forget your coupons, and ask for senior citizen discounts (can't hurt) and leave your purse at home. Bring along some energy bars and some bottles of water and juice in a small back pack (it might be inspected at entry and exits).

Rest every 30 minutes, be aware of your surroundings and walk out in a group of two or three toward your cars.Have your keys in your hand, the longest one between your fingers for a means of close order protection. Try to store packages in your trunk or at least covered in the vehicle with the doors always locked.

If you have a nice big dog, house trained, who likes to ride in the car or truck, you might take them along. Just check on them every hour and make sure you have plenty of water and nibbles available for them. Don't forget your leash! It will cold so provide a nice warm blanket for them and barely crack a back window about 1/8 to 1/4 inch for fresh air.

Please hold on tight to your packages in the store, ask for different size gift boxes, and have them wrapped at home. Dollar Time and Dollar Store have great Christmas bags and trimmings for $1.00 or plus each.

Good luck with getting your hearts desires with an eye toward being conservative and use credit cards sparely. I understand from reading the news, some credit cards interests rates will start rising in January due to government deregulations as a part of the bail out bill or that's the word on the street.

May the Lord bless and keep all of you in the palm of his hands and closest to his heart. You have to give him a little help by keeping and eye out for yourself and family, too.

With a great feeling of thankfulness for all of you who know me and care about me as a person and not caricature, I send you much love and hugs and wishes for good blessings and cheer. Thanks for the memories this year! Enjoy the message in the poem. It is meant individually for each of my buddies and friends. I appreciate your loyalty, laughter, cute jokes, wonderful tips on cooking, cleaning, stock buys, grocery shopping, healthy life styles, your weddings, accomplishments, and those of your family and children. Your problems and how you solved them or when you need help solving them. All of us have something of ourselves to give to others. Some of those things may be not what we need at the moment but we keep looking for our answers just the same.

No man is an island is and old saying and an old movie and very, very true today. I believe we network farther and with more people today than we ever have before thanks to the Worldwide Web Internet. We all need each other to validate ourselves and to renew ourselves. We each choose each other according to our wants, needs, and desire to please ourselves and our partners. The more you know about each other the better and stronger your relationship will be if it was meant to be. No relationship is ever wasted as we learn what to be aware off in our next relationship which did not make for happiness in the first or last one. My words of advice to all. Love is like a burning fire, it needs to be tended, stoked, refurnished with elements to make it continue to burn brightly, and when it is dying, there may be a few embers in the ashes to pour little bits of love and care on them to bring back the glowing embers! One day at a time, sweet Jesus!

PeachRose

I am Thankful for You

Thanksgiving is the appointed time
for focusing on the good in our lives.
In each of our days,
we can find small blessings,
but too often we overlook them,
choosing instead to spend our time
paying attention to problems.
We give our energy
to those who cause us trouble
instead of those who bring peace.
Starting now,
let’s be on the lookout
for the bits of pleasure in each hour,
and appreciate the people who
bring love and light to everyone
who is blessed to know them.
You are one of those people.
On Thanksgiving,
I’m thankful for you.
Happy Thanksgiving!

By Joanna Fuchs

Obama, he da Democrats Man, eh

Obama, he da man
he got a master plan
to fix all de troubles
of this land.

We got ta help him
carry it out
by the bag, bushel or
truck
we gonna get dat free
Democrat money with any luck.

Bring your big money sack
taxpayers and don't be late
for da income attack
cause Democrats & other folks
knows you is rich and can
stand da weight.

Taxpayers, The Kennedy's, and
Clinton's, too, done got dem
big eyes on you.
No need to complain, no need
to wail, cause it's dat bailout giveaway law
and you be going to jail.

If yo belly get empty,son,
your clothes be threadbare
I knows a secret, most gov'mint
folks don't care.
It's plain out robbery without
no gun.

We, Americans, been shuffling from Peter to
pay Paul.
It done catch up to us and likes
Humpty Dumpty
We in for a big fall.

Grab dat super glue and start
to mending yo stocks nest egg
Y'all better git on wid it
and shake a leg.
The gov'mint gonna make us do
our part by giving our money
to them with a heavy heart.

The charities will suffer this year
for sho, cause we ain't gonna be donors
anymore, but recipients at theys
door.

When the middle income man is gone on
to his retirement or his maker,
what are we gonna do when gov'mint
can no longer be his money taker?

Democrats have you any
money? Yes, sir, yes, sir,
three bags full
one for dat hack Mr. Reid, one
for the Pelosi dame,
and one for the recycled old Democrats
gov'mint "bag" men lurking in the
White House lane.
--by da PeachRose a/k/a MRL
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Under the Joel Chandler Harris literary license style