AMANDA'S BASKETS: FALL LEAVES AND FOOTBALL

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

FALL LEAVES AND FOOTBALL

The picture is of last year's fall leaves across the street. The leaves have not turned like this around here yet, and with the 90 degree weather we had the past three days, I wonder when they will turn.

Listening to program on our climate situation, I was sad to hear that unless things change, there will be no fall nor spring...just an abrupt change from summer (heat) to winter (cold). And fall is my favorite time of year.

I heard a speech on fall turning which resonated with me. Leaves are always the color they turn to in the fall. It's just that the chlorophyll disguises the leaves. Many times what we humans are on the inside is disguised by our outward presentation.

Am I really compassionate and caring on the inside but present a different face to the world in some attempt to impress someone or prevent someone from knowing who I am? An interesting question to ponder with my morning pages. That is, after I have finished with the Learning Something New prompts.

So, folks who read my blog know that I am a football nut. Well, we have both Vikings and Packers fans in the household. So when they are playing at the same time, this is what happens to our living room...

Yup...Vikings on the left, Packers on the right!!!

Well, the current political situation with Trump and the Ukraine just may present a turning point. What do you think? I think that this is a bridge too far...a step beyond the pale and it looks like others in political leadership may think that way also. It will be interesting to see what the speaker has to say after the meeting with her delegates.

I have been crocheting trees for the table centerpieces at the Holiday Party. I thought that a large green crocheted tree (about a foot high) plus a snowman on some fake snow sounds cute. I have the trees down, next I need to work on the snowman.

Enjoy the day...
Thanks for stopping by...
Talk with you tomorrow

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?