Choice Morsels

This rendition of, "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," from YouTube performed by the Small Town Titans is, next to the original cartoon song,  the best one I've ever heard! Turn up the Volume & Enjoy! (Click the bottom right corner of video to enlarge to full screen.)

The Mama Kat blog writing prompt today is a quick little fiction ending with "I should have known."  It's from a writer's prompt idea to write about a world where everyone gets a super power on their 18th birthday and your character gets one no one would ever want.         Ned woke up early, excited. Today was his 18 th birthday. Today he'd found out what his super power was!      Everyone on the planet got super powers on their 18 th birthdays--ever since the manned mission to mars came back with some unknown micro-organism that mutated the entire human race. That was 40 years ago.      Ned jumped out of bed and dressed quickly, eager to find out what his was.  He wondered what his gift might be? His Mom could see through walls. His Dad could speed read and could read through a 1000 page book in a manner of seconds.       Would he fly? Ned gave a little jump to test it. Nope.        Move things with his mind? He tried moving a towel off th

This little vase of white Gardenias & Rusty Dwarf Marigolds was my Thanksgiving table arrangement! I made it from what's still blooming outside!  It's still on the table today, though I've been removing Gardenias as they expire. I have a Gardenia bush out front that has persisted blooming till now, though I think it's about done. With Gardenia's it's best to snip them just as about to open or even buds, as they will fully open in a vase. They smell like cloves. My other project this week was digging up Red Spider Lily clumps and spreading the bulbs out. They look like this in September. They're a type of Magic Lily. That means the leaves only appear in winter, then later in fall, their bare flower stems "magically" appear. Right now is the only time of year I can see where they are by their leaves. I had about 3 clumps that needed separating.  The bulbs crowd each other after 3 or 4 years, resulting in poor flowering. 

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving! We went to a friends house, so that made it easy! We brought the veggie side:  Garlic Sauteed Sweet Potatoes & Brussels! And yes, they're as tasty as they look! It's really my own recipe and all done on a stove top. I put them in a slow-cooker to serve usually to keep them warm for a crowd. I do use an iron skillet, which puts a nice brown on everything! This is a great side for any meal. Garlic Sauteed Sweet Potatoes & Brussels! Ingredients: 1 large Sweet Potato 1 12oz bag frozen Brussel Sprouts, thawed 4 cloves of fresh garlic minced & divided 2 - 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil Sea Salt & Black Pepper to Taste Directions: 1)  Use a Vegetable Peeler to remove skin from sweet potato, then with a sharp knife, cut sweet potato into 1/2 inch discs. Then slice each disc into 1/4 inch strips. 2)  Then cut thawed Brussels in half and set aside. 3)  In large skillet on medium high, add 1 to 1 1/2 Tab

Get a head start on ordering those Christmas cards and other seasonal delights!  'Tis the Season Teal Holly Wreath Photo Card Looking for Holiday Cards? Go HERE for a full selection of folded, flat, photo and non-photo Holiday greetings! If you're interested in my card designs,  Go HERE to peruse my  Best Holiday Greetings Collection!  Meowy Christmas Mug Looking for Holiday Mugs? Go HERE for a full selection of  photo and non-photo Holiday mugs! Coastal Beach Christmas Tree Skirt Looking for Holiday Decor? Go HERE for a wide selection of  Christmas pillows, Tree Skirts, Christmas Stockings & Keepsake Photo Gifts, including Photo Ornaments! Snowflake Christmas Table Cloth Looking for Holiday Linens? Go HERE for a wide selection of Holiday Table Runners, Table Cloths, Place Mats,  Aprons, Kitchen Towels, Cloth Napkins & Paper Napkins! Next post will be 26 Nov for Go

For Mama Kat today, I'm sharing a recipe that's on my "Must Try This Recipe," list now that the weather has gotten cold and baking warms up the house: Pierogi Casserole !   This recipe is particularly recommended for leftover mashed potatoes, like from Thanksgiving. Have you ever eaten Pierogi? You can buy them frozen---delicious mashed potato & cheese filled wraps. Well, I found this Pierogi Casserole recipe on Pinterest ---layers of lasagna noodles, mashed potatoes, minced onion & cheese baked in a 9 x 13 pan! Pierogi Casserole Ingredients: 16 oz Lasagna noodles cooked according to package directions. 6 cups mashed potatoes 3 Tablespoons minced onion 18 slices cheese (white American cheese or Monterey Jack or Provolone) 1/2 cup butter sliced into 15 thin slices Decorative topping : dried Parsley flakes Directions: Prep 9 x 13 baking dish or pan by spraying with a cooking oil spray. Cook Lasagna noodles according to direct

My house plants spend all summer outside, getting fat and green, then in the fall I bring them inside for the winter. Did that today, because it's supposed to drop to near freezing temperatures here in NW Florida. Also carefully covered my Bell Pepper and Tomato first with plastic, then with towels and sheets. The plastic will keep the plants dry.  I had a couple of old shower curtain liners perfect for putting around the tomato. I keep them around for paint projects. A yard trash bag covered the Bells easily. Here's my counter loaded with a jungle of plants! I need to clean up the outsides of the containers and pull all the pine needles and other debris out of them, then they all go in hangers in various rooms. I nearly forgot to bring in my Wandering Jew! I remembered while writing this and ran out to get it! (So it's not in the picture.) I will cut a vase full of it's tendrils and that's how it will spend the winter: in a vase of water to

I'm posting Garden Pics ahead this week, because we have other things going on this week and have some beautiful shots just taken today of what's blooming! Lavender Hosta Bloom ! This Hosta lily is in my container garden in front. I like the curve of brown day lily leaf behind it that gives it a fall feel.  This Hosta is a small type with a variegated leaf.  White Hosta Lily Bloom! I saw the first bloom fully open today! It's in a bed behind the container garden on the other side of the sidewalk in front of some climbing roses.  This is one a medium size Hosta, one in a row that frequently bloom throughout fall and even into winter if the weather stays mild. This bed faces East and gets a good warm dose of morning sun everyday and that's what keeps these babies green and sometimes even blooming. Rusty-Orange Dwarf Marigolds! These are my favorite color! They've been self-seeding for years and years, so they're pretty much wil

In October, Zazzle held a Holiday design contest.  I created two entries; this Joy Love Peace Minimalist photo card design was one of them. I didn't win any of $$ prizes as a whole,  but my Joy Love Peace Photo Magnetic card, shown here, was by itself selected by Zazzle for an Editor's Pick Award!  That means it has a little gold Winner's Ribbon next to it now that says, "Editors Pick."  This is the first design of mine to earn that.  It's Zazzle's way of saying,"We recommend this product." As customers peruse Zazzle products, they'll see a Gold Star that says "Editor's Pick,"  which draws their attention to that item and increases the chances of them looking at it. Editor's Picks are sometimes promoted by Zazzle marketing on their various promo product pages, so there's that. Editor's Pick: My  Joy Love Peace Minimalist Photo Magnetic Card :  A great idea for your family Christmas photo---fa

Today's Mama Kat prompt I chose was to write a post inspired by the word: dark. I've been saving creative writing prompts on my Pinterest board. (You can read the ones I like.)   One suggested rewriting a fairly tale with a different ending.  My favorite author, satire writer James Thurber, was very good at those, so I decided I'd try my hand at it by rewriting a well-known Mother Goose nursery rhythm with a dark twist. The Woman In A Shoe Once upon a time, There was a little old woman who lived in shoe, Who had so many children she didn't know what to do. But the crotchety old man living in the Cowboy Boot next door, Got tired of the little trespassers playing on his lawn, So he called the County Family Welfare office, Who came out and cited the little old woman for operating a Day Care without a license, And  took away all the children. So, unemployed, she sold her shoe to a young couple looking for a fixer-upper And moved to Soul C