A Joyful Trio July 31, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Mindfulness.comments closed
There is a calmness to a life lived in gratitude, a quiet joy. ~ Ralph H. Blum
The purpose of our lives is to give birth to the best which is within us. ~ Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love
Ever since there have been men, man has given himself over to too little joy. That alone, my brothers, is our original sin. I should believe only in a god who understands how to dance. ~ Henry Matisse
And, I might add, how to laugh!
No rules. Just write.
Your thoughts?
Artwork by Barbara Hines, an island resident whose whimsical paintings reflect her sense of humor, love of nature, and respect for creatures, great and small.
For a more complete bio: Barbara Hines ~ About the Artist
Layered Mexican Dip July 30, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Food & Drink, Vegetarian Recipes.comments closed
For an appetizer that’s almost as easy to serve as pita chips and hummus . . .
Spread refried beans into a quiche pan, pie plate, or other shallow serving bowl. Layer other ingredients on top ~ spread salsa, leaving 1/2″ around the rim with no salsa; sprinkle grated cheese over the center, leaving 1″ around the rim with no cheese. Top with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, olives, red pepper, onion, jalapeno (or anything else you like on bean burritos).
Adjust heat by using mild, medium, hot, or flaming salsa, or by adding cayenne or taco seasoning to the beans. Delicious served with tortilla chips, pita chips, fritos, melba rounds, crackers, or raw veggies.
Spread leftover dip on softened tortillas to make Veggie Wraps.
Aah . . . that’s better!
What about you? Do you have a favorite “go to” appetizer you whip together for unexpected company?
Related posts: Burrito or Taco Bar * Mexican Curry * Yummy Hummus * Bon Appetit! * Bruschetta * Veggie Tacos * 7 Layer Tostadas (Kalyn’s Kitchen)
Lookie Loo . . . A Bathroom Redo! July 29, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Home & Garden, Humor, Joke, Word Play.comments closed
Our shower stall is not in great shape.
Tired of looking at the once white (now gray) grout, we started exploring the idea of redoing the master bath.
We went across the street to Harbour Isles and checked out their model homes and picked out the bathroom we would like to have:
From there, we headed round to the home improvement store to price tiles, fixtures, cabinets, toilets, medicine chests. In short order, we decided we do not have enough money to transform our bath from where it is to where we want it to be.
Somewhat relieved, we put that project on hold and turned our attention elsewhere. We did not have to look far before we found the perfect project to tackle. Even more than ours, Tigger’s Loo desperately needed a redo:
Yesterday, for the grand total of $18, BFF completed building a new and improved throne for the King of our Castle:
We are confident that Tigger will not bemoan the fact that it does not have double sinks or granite countertops.
Like us, he’s easy to please!
And, now, to join in Sidey’s Weekend Theme ~ Joke, a bit of bathroom humor:
A stranger, seated next to a young girl on an airplane, turned to her and said, “Let’s talk. I’ve heard that flights go faster if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passengers.”
The young girl, an avid reader who had just opened her book, Too Much Stuff, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, “What would you like to talk about?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the stranger. “How about nuclear power?”
“OK,” she said. “That could be an interesting topic. But first let me ask you a question. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff – grass – yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?”
The stranger, visibly surprised by the young girl’s intelligence, thinks about it and says, “Hmm, I have no idea.”
To which the future Op-Ed contributor replies, “Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don’t know shit?”
Source: e-mail from an unknown author, edited
In the mood for more risqué humor? WARNING: Graphic & Juvenile Humor * What Starts with “F” and ends with “K”? * A Bit of Easter Humor * My Favorite Lawyer Joke * That’s Funny! * Don’t Talk To Strangers (Hugmamma)
The Seven Dwarves . . . Revisited July 28, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Joke, Mindfulness, People.comments closed
Hi Ho . . .
Hi Ho . . .
Out of our minds we go . . .
No wonder the Evil Queen
Treated Snow White with disdain
Suffering from Menopause
Is such a dreadful pain!
Life is good, but life is short. Bad things happen. Laugh when you can.
Survival tips for family members:
No rules. Just write!
Join The Campaign July 27, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Poetry, Word Play.comments closed
Our worst enemy
doesn’t believe in killing instantly
causing its victims no pain. Oh, no, our
enemy insists on slowly annihilating
all who cross its path in a
technique
that is
torture
for
us.
Our worst enemy
relentlessly inflicts pain
slowly, ever so slowly, as layer
by layer, it destroys
all opposition
in its path
until
only
the
l l
l l
is
left.
* * *
And that’s not right!
Join us!
We can lick our enemy!
Help us stamp out tongues!
No rules. Just write!
Paid for by the Campaign for Lollipops
Give Yourself A Pep Talk July 26, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Books & Movies, Happiness, Magick & Mystery.comments closed
After silencing our inner critics, we switch from negative self talk to positive self talk.
But, sometimes, we stall in our tracks.
When that happens, we need to remind ourselves to keep moving forward in the direction of our dreams.
For example, I gave myself a pep talk to drown out fear, doubt and anxiety . . .
* when the initial house sale fell through
* when I resigned as Program Director “too soon”
* when fear whispered that the house would never sell
On one of the “scary” days, as we walked around St. Armand’s Circle consumed with fear, the Universe led us into a small shop, and directly over to a book, Be Happy. Remember to Live, Love, Laugh, and Learn:
Intrigued by the cover, I picked it up, opened it to a random page, and saw a quote that calmed the butterflies fluttering in my stomach:
I would rather have 30 minutes of “wonderful” than a lifetime of nothing special. ~ Julia Roberts
Followed by: Feel the fear and do it anyway. ~ Susan Jeffers
Followed by: Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile initially scared me to death. ~ Betty Bender
Followed by: Great things are only possible with outrageous requests. ~ Thea Alexander
As calm returned to my being, I showed BFF the page, and watched his face relax from tenseness (born of anxiety, worry, and fear) to a confident smile radiating peace and joy.
Convinced, I bought the book ~ a synchronistic gift from the Universe designed to remind us to “sail on” despite our fears.
If it’s time for a change, and you need encouragement to defeat doubt, worry, and fear, give yourself a pep talk.
Quotes to Ponder:
* Tomorrow’s life is too late. Live today. ~ Marcus Valerius Martialis
* Do not delay; the golden moments fly! ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
* Today, I don’t want to live for, I want to live. ~ Hugh Prather
* Say yes to life, even though you know it may devour you. ~ Stephen Larsen
* Nothing ventured, something lost. ~ Neale Clapp
* Being too cautious is the greatest risk of all. ~ Jawaharial Nehru
* There’s no such thing as “zero risk.” ~ William Driver
* The greatest mistake we can make is to be continually fearing that we will make one. ~ Elbert Hubbard
You, of course, are the only expert on your life . . . no one else knows what you need to do.
Look deep, the answers lie within.
No rules. Just write!
Related posts: A Beacon in the Dark * Live Your Life * Water Over The Dam * Winks, Whispers, and Nudges
Sometimes You Just Know July 25, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Magick & Mystery, Mindfulness.comments closed
Wikipedia ~ Tarot (in Public Domain)
A few years ago, BFF went to the local drugstore to purchase toiletries.
When he returned home, he said he’d bought some “presents” for the 5 nieces and nephews we had at the time.
With a grin, he asked me to guess what he got.
“PEZ dispensers.”
His grin disappeared and he stared at me, mouth agape . . . “How did you guess that?”
“I don’t know. The Universe must have told me.”
“No, really. How did you guess? We’ve never bought them PEZ dispensers before. Of all the things I could have bought . . . ”
“I don’t know how I knew. I just knew.”
Intuition . . . sometimes you just KNOW.
Accept that as the gift that it is.
And now a few Fun Facts about PEZ:
PEZ Dispenser (Fair Use)
* PEZ was first introduced in 1927 in Vienna, Austria as a breath mint for adults!
* The word PEZ was created using the first, middle and last letter in the German word for peppermint PfeffErminZ.
* The first PEZ dispensers were known as regulars and did not have character heads on them. They were marketed to adults as an alternative to smoking. Original dispensers have sold for more than $100 each!
* When making a single piece of PEZ Candy it takes 3,000 pounds of pressure to compress the sugar into the familiar brick shape of a PEZ Candy!
* In 2007, PEZ celebrated 80 years as a brand and continues to introduce new character dispensers all the time!
No rules. Just write!
Related posts: Psychic Ability (You Were Born That Way) * Pretty Swift, Eh?
Announcing . . .Ta Da! July 24, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Blogging.comments closed
Paula, an endless source of inspiration (and amusement), gave me an idea this morning as she shamelessly begged to be featured (again!) on SLTW.
Her pleading (and attempted bribery) got me thinking . . .
Why not add a page with links to articles on blogs and bloggers featured on SLTW? (Paula included.)
Here it is . . . Ta Da!
It’s still a work in progress (aren’t we all?) ~ I’ll continue to round up feature articles to include with links to the blogs and bloggers in question.
Thanks, Paula!
No rules. Just write!
BTW: If you know of any Canadian Bloggers who have not visited Reflections from a Cloudy Mirror yet . . . send them round. Paula is anxiously awaiting visitors from each of Canada’s Provinces.
Meet Tilly . . . The Laughing Housewife July 24, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Blogging, Humor, Writing & Writers.comments closed
Wikipedia ~ Medieval Kitchen (in Public Domain)
Tilly Bud, also known as The Laughing Housewife, cannot cook.
I am dead serious:
* Her husband uses a smoke detector as an oven timer.
* House guests refuse to let her cook.
* Her pancakes resemble scabby knees.
Word to the Wise: If she invites you to dinner, eat before you go unless you like burnt sausages, beans on toast, or Maltesers.
On second thought, forget the last.
Tilly doesn’t share Maltesers . . .
EVER.
Not even if you’re friends with Matt LeBlanc (a/k/a Joey Tribianni).
Not even if it’s your Birthday.
Not even if you’re her BFF or her BBB (Best Blogging Bud).
And that’s . . . O.K.
What Tilly does share (in generous doses) is laughter:
* Laugh out loud laughter.
* Snort beverages out your nose laughter.
* Pee in your pants laughter.
* Spray coffee over your keyboard laughter.
* Laugh until you cry laughter.
* Fall into the coffee table laughter.
* So true it hurts laughter.
Wikipedia ~ American Humor (in Public Domain)
So . . . I have just one question for you: Have you laughed today?
We do not laugh because we are happy. We are happy because we laugh. ~ William James
Wine improves with age
Age improves with wine
Life improves with laughter
Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~ Victor Hugo
Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and people call you a cry baby behind your back.
No rules. Just write!
Tilly Bud WON the 100,000 Visitor Prize (as Visitor # 99,999).
Will You Be THE 100,000th Visitor? July 23, 2011
Posted by nrhatch in Art & Photography, Blogging.comments closed
Looks like today’s the day . . .
The visitor counter is at 99,947.
Only 53 visitors needed to roll the odometer over to 100,000!
Let the countdown begin!
Will you be THE 100,000th visitor? Time will tell. Just post the counter number (bottom right widget) in your comment.
Let’s see who hits it “on the nose.”
No rules. Just write!
Artwork by Marlane Wurzbach ~ available at Marlane Wurzbach.com.
Spirit Lights The Way 