Vashti Quiroz-Vega's Blog, page 56
December 11, 2013
Christmas Brunch
Photograph: Christmas Day Brunch at the Rosen Plaza Hotel
Hello, and welcome to my blog! I love receiving visitors, although I have to admit that I’ve been a bit “Bah Humbug!” this year. What with looking for a house (and not being able to find one), having all my stuff in storage, and my father being in the hospital (after he suffered a stroke and heart attack on the same night!), I’m finding it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit.
While on Google+, I came across the cheeriest Christmas poem. The author is AJ from ajwrites57, and it’s called Santa Sat. Reading it, I began to feel a spark of Christmas joy.
Then I received an email notification from my friend Yolanda about her latest post on her blog Love, Pain And Other Catastrophes called It’s Beginning To Look A lot Like Christmas. It was a beautiful piece and after reading it, I felt all tingly inside.
Admiring the beautiful Nature Inspired Christmas Decorations and Holiday Tablescapes that Doreen featured on her blog HouseHoneys and Angela’s amazing Christmas Mantel Decorations on her blog Twelve Oaks Manor really kindled the fire of Christmas in my heart.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that, with only two weeks left before the big day, I had not created any Christmas posts!
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“Bah Humbug!”
Well, in my family we celebrate Christmas Eve with lots of food, drinks, music and dancing. On Christmas Day we sleep in, and then we enjoy a nice brunch of leftovers from the night before. So my post today features some delicious Christmas breakfast/brunch recipes. I hope you enjoy them!
You can prepare this delicious breakfast casserole the day before and bake Christmas morning. A great recipe from Allrecipes.com
Christmas Brunch Casserole
If you’re like me you’ve gotta have bread! I ran across this beautiful and festive bread recipe at My Diverse Kitchen At first, I thought it would be too complicated to make, but Aparna gives you step-by-step instructions that simplify the process. I’m going to try it!
Golden Santa Bread
I love pancakes and these look amazing! I got the recipe from Allrecipes.com
Grandma’s Gingerbread Pancakes
Crumb Cake + French Toast = Scrumptiousness (is this a word? Hmm)
Cinnamon Streusel French Toast
If your family is like mine then you had a big Christmas Eve party with lots of food. This is a great recipe made from leftover mashed potatoes from Key Ingredient
Bacon Cheddar Potato Cakes
Feeling drowsy Christmas morning? The following recipes will wake you right up and get you going.
Delicious recipe from Williams-Sonoma
Mint Hot Chocolate
Scrumptious concoction by Half Baked Harvest
Toasted Coconut Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Latte with Chocolate Drizzle (Yummy mouthful!)
If you’d like to share one of your holiday recipes leave me a comment with your link and I may feature it in a future post! Thank you for visiting!
December 10, 2013
“Turn It Up Tuesday” Blog Hop!
Hello everyone! It’s Tuesday again and that means another opportunity to share your work and grow your blog! So link up ! CLICK HERE, HERE or HERE TO LINK UP YOUR POSTS.
Natasha’s words…
Welcome to the 13th week of Turn It Up Tuesdays! We had a great week with some awesome posts!
Thank you to all that have linked up with us from week to week and welcome to those that have just found us!
Turn It Up Tuesdays is all about being happy and excited and energetic, and having fun! Link up your favorite posts and meet some awesome bloggers in return! Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, recipes, mommy moments – anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly. We want to laugh, be entertained, be inspired, and have a good time!
Welcome our hosts!
Natasha at Epic Mommy Adventures,
Jessica at The Wondering Brain
and Stacey at This Momma’s Ramblings!
Welcome our lovely co-hosts for December!
Megan from Meg’s MenagerieTiffany from Mrs Tee Love Life LaughterCathy from A Peek Into My ParadiseMaritza from Surprise You Are A Mom!Marcie at Marcie’s NookLaura at 2 Girls With a Food BlogVashti from Vashti Quiroz-Vega’s Blog
Jan from An Ideal Mom
Interested in co-hosting?
If you are interested, please complete this form. Monthly co-hosts will be chosen on a first come first-serve basis. Co-hosts will receive free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures or Grow with Epic Mommy for 60 days!
And here are the posts featured for the Week:
If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!
And now The Best of the Best is…(drum roll please)
As the Best of the Best, you win free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures or Grow With Epic Mommy for 60 days! Please showcase the badge below with pride on your blog! Natasha will be in touch to provide you with all the details!
My blog, Epic Mommy Adventures, is celebrating the 1st year blogiversary this month with a BIG giveaway! Enter for a chance to win an Amazon Kindle Fire + more prizes! Although we’ve started, we’re still taking co-hosts. It’s only $10! Sign up here!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
So now that you’ve seen the Featured and the Best of the Best, met our hosts and co-hosts, and saw our big giveaway, let’s get started!
Please add our button to your sidebar!
Link up your posts and earn the chance to be featured or become the Best of the Best on Turn It Up Tuesdays! We will feature the favorite posts each week! Share as many posts as you’d like!
Do you want to join in the voting fun? Have you seen a post that should have been featured because it was so awesome? Use the “like” feature to like your favorite posts and the post with the most likes will be Featured!
December 9, 2013
“Meandering Mondays” Blog Hop
Hello everyone! Thank you for stopping by. Don’t miss another great opportunity to link up and grow your blog!
Stacey’s words…
I would like to say thank you to all of our regular linkers and to all of the new ones who happen by, your support is wonderful and greatly appreciated!
Now lets all give a big, resounding “howdy” to all of our awesome December gang!
The wonderful Jessica from The Wondering Brain and Natasha from Epic Mommy Adventures.
And now for the wonderful group of ladies who are our co-hosts for the month of December!
If you would like to know more about each of these amazing ladies, please read “Welcome to my December Ladies”!
Without further ado, please say, “Hello” to!
Millie & Kristina from 2 Crochet Hooks!
Tiffany a.k.a Mrs Tee from Mrs Tee Love Life Laughter
Sinea from Ducks N a Row
Vashti from Vashti Quiroz-Vega’s Blog
Megan from Meg’s Menagerie
Be sure to stop by and share some love with each of these awesome ladies!
Grab a badge and join the party!
Now it is time to introduce our favorite This Momma’s Meanderer’s from last week, and boy oh boy it was a difficult choice! Don’t forget to grab your “I Was Featured” badge of honor! Congratulations to you all!
Mrs Tee’s favorite came from Baby for Scale with the post, “Because I’m Happy”
Saying, “This post truly made me happy and smile throughout the rest of the day. Not only was the song one that stuck in my head and I added to my own Playlist but the very theme Blair had about allowing herself to simply BE present and in her life. It was inspiring and encouraging. We all should give ourselves time to Be Happy!”
Sinea’s favorite came from Crafty Journal with the post “Christmas Money Tree”
Vashti’s favorite came from Darlene Nemeth with the post “Happiness is…Blowing Up a Balloon All By Yourself”
Saying, “It’s a cute post that put a smile on my face and I believe she is right when she wrote that we as adults would be able to accomplish so much more if we had the determination of a child.”
Megan’s favorite came from The Crafty Side of Sarcasm with the post “Friends Giving”
Saying, “I absolutely LOVE brussel sprouts and think they are very underrated. Give this recipe a shot, you won’t be disappointed!”
And my fave came from Lady Blogger with the post “Why Middle Schoolers No Longer Scare Me”
“Okay, the title alone had me! LOL! All I could think as I read through this post was…I have been there, going through it, and got one more to go! LOL!”
Congratulations to all of you amazing and wonderful linkers! Don’t forget to grab and display our “Featured” badge!
Thank you to all of you who joined us last week!
Now let’s get this party started!
Remember everyone enjoys a little comment love!
Feel free to “meander” by some fellow bloggers and find a new recipe to make for the family, a helpful blogging tip, a funny story to read, and best of all a new friend to make! There are really no rules to follow, only some suggestions to keep in mind…because we are all to enjoy the friendships that come along by doing these few simple and wonderful things…
1. Link up your favorite post…a story, a recipe, a photo, or a helpful tip…As many as you want!
2. Please follow our Host’s and Co-host’s
3. Find some new friends to follow, friendships are what it’s all about!
4. Be sure to leave some comment love, to get it in return.
5. Grab our badge and display on your blog, sharing the love is what it’s all about.
Meander through the links and make some new friends, find some amazing and useful tips, and maybe even a new treat to try!
I am looking for January co-hosts for This Momma’s Meandering Mondays? If interested, please drop me a line at ssgannett@gmail.com. I would love to have you along for the ride! You can also check out my sponsor page for more info.
This Momma’s Meandering Mondays, now offers more ways to link up all of your favorite sites, so that we have more opportunity to Meander around and share the love! So happy Linking everyone!
Blog Link Up:
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Facebook Link Up:
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Twitter Link Up:
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December 7, 2013
A Town’s Perception
Hello everyone! Thank you for visiting my blog today. I’m featuring a short story inspired by a nightmare I had a few nights ago. The nightmare was somewhat bizarre, as nightmares often are, but what I remember of it became the creative impulse that led to this story. I’ll call it a Sci-Fi/Horror, but please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.
WARNING: The story is a bit macabre.
Download: spooked.mp3
( ^ Click PLAY to hear soundtrack ^)
A Town’s Perception
It began with the moon.
One evening I lifted my eyes to the skies, and the moon appeared to have doubled in size. After that, all sorts of curious phenomena began to occur. Everyone in my small town was in a panic.
Strange swirls of indescribable colors were seen in the night skies. During the day the sun shone blood red and colored the skies pink. It was as if something had transported us to a different planet overnight.
When I saw the ships in the sky, I knew it wouldn’t be long before they came for us, and I was right.
In the middle of the day, they came. I watched them disembark their ships, small groups at a time. They resembled men of diminutive stature with large heads. They appeared to waddle rather than walk. They wore weird metallic suits with respirators attached to their faces.
I rushed to my daughter’s side. She lay on the bed in her room, stared ahead at nothingness and wailed, as she had done for days.
My poor child. Her mind was not equipped to handle this invasion. I held her tight. I would not allow her capture. Who knew what these small creatures were capable of doing to her—-to us.
I pushed the barrel of the gun up against her temple to keep my hand from trembling. The cold metal did not stop her wails. Poor thing, her voice was so hoarse. I would extinguish the fire in her gullet.
I pulled the trigger. She fell on her side, her eyes still open wide, as if she could still see this nightmare. I shut her eyelids and finally gave her peace.
It was my turn. I’d convinced myself, like so many others in this town, that this was the only way out. I was the last to take action since I was taught to always have hope, but even those of us who always have hope had given up.
The priest took most of the townfolk. After his last sermon, the priest instructed the congregation to get on their knees and pray. While they were praying, the priest left the church and locked them in. Then he set it ablaze.
Pitiful man of God, his mind also handled the crisis poorly. He burned those people alive: men and women, young and old. He had invited my daughter and I to attend his last sermon, and I agreed to go, but my daughter was not doing well, so we stayed home and were saved from a horrific death.
I live a block away from the church, and I heard the screams and howls of the burning souls. I ran down the street and was met with a fiery inferno. The stench of burning flesh and hair made me retch. I released the contents of my stomach right there on the street. What did it matter? There was no one around to watch me. I saw the priest stagger from the back of the burning building. My stomach was tied in knots.
“Demons! The demons are upon us,” he shouted. “If you remain they will take your soul!”
“What are you talking about?” I gasped pointing a shaky finger at the combusting church. “There are people burning alive in there!” I ran toward the church’s double doors. The heat of the blaze stopped me. I sobbed unable to act. Those were my neighbors. My friends.
“You have to burn! Otherwise the demons will take your soul. I burned them because the fire will purify their spirits,” he confessed.
My hands flew to cover my mouth upon recognition of what he had done. My legs faltered, and I fell to my knees. I trembled uncontrollably as the priest took steps toward me. I extended my quaking arms before me.
“Stop!” I screamed. “Stay away!” I made an attempt to get to my feet, but my knees buckled.
“My dear, you must not remain alive. The demons will take your soul,” he said, his voice eerily calm. He continued to trudge in my direction.
“You’re right!” I shouted. My eyes wide and head nodding briskly. ”I know I must die. I must tend to my daughter’s demise also.”
“What? Your young daughter is still alive?”
“Yes, she waits for me at home.”
“No, no, no!” The man of the cloth pulled on his sleeves and shook his head like a madman. “You must go to her! It may be too late already. The demons do not waste time. A young soul like hers is a prime target. Go to her! If her soul is still intact, take her life immediately and then take your own.” He took a lighter out and flicked it on. He bent over and put the small flame against the hem of his cassock.
I tried to scream as I watched the fire spread and grow on the flammable cloth of his priestly vestment, but I opened my mouth and sounds did not leave my lips. I gathered all my strength and lifted myself off the ground. I wanted to run. Instead I barely escaped the wailing priest who floundered, engulfed in flames. I staggered past him. The crackle and pop of his burning flesh lingered in my ears never to be forgotten. Noxious smoke attacked my nostrils. The stench was so great, I could taste it.
The very next day, the little men came.
It’s time now. My daughter is gone. The entire town is gone.
*
A gunshot is heard. Men in white lab coats and facemasks run into a young girl’s bedroom. On the twin bed, dressed in pink, lies a pre-teen girl and a thirty-something-year-old woman. Both females are deceased due to gunfire wounds to the head.
“We’re too late,” says one of the men in lab coats.
“Well, maybe it is for the best,” says his partner. “There is nothing we could have done to reverse the effects of the chemical agent.”
“It’s a shame what happened in this town.”
“Yes, but how could we know Compound K would have this effect on them?”
“No, we had no way of knowing that the solution we prepared to cause infertility in the men and women of this town would turn into a powerful, hallucinogenic, mind-altering drug when combined with their water.”
“We’ll have to look into the town’s filtering system before we try this again in the next small town.”
“I agree, but let’s not allow this small speed bump to deter our cause.”
“Doctors,” interrupts a young man, “you asked for bottled water?” The men nod and each takes a bottle hardly taking notice of the fellow. The young assistant leaves.
“Of course it won’t deter us. Our cause to save the planet by ending overpopulation goes beyond a few casualties.”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call five hundred people a few casualties, but such things happen in the name of science.”
“Absolutely.” The scientist gulps down his bottled water. Suddenly, he sputters. His eyes widen. “Th-thi-this water was bottled right here in this town!”
The other scientist fumbles with the bottle, trying to see the manufacturer’s name.
“How could this small town have a bottled water company?” Wide-eyed and hands trembling, the scientist stares at the lettering on the bottle. He reads, “‘We take pride in our fresh, clean mountain water and we use the highest quality water filtration systems.’ They bottled this water four days ago.” He drops the bottle, and it crashes to the ground.
“No!” yells his partner. “We put Compound K in the water supply seven days ago!”
“Maybe it won’t affect us in the same way as the townspeople.” His voice wavers and his body shudders at the thought of having ingested the solution that caused all the townspeople to go mad and kill themselves. The other scientist stares at him, unnervingly silent. Suddenly, the first scientist recoils.
“Stay away from me!” he yells. “Don’t come near me. You will never take me alive!”
“What is the matter with you?” The second scientist takes a step back. “Oh, no.” His face slackens as realization hits. His partner continues shouting, “You’ll never take me alive, Nazi!” He grabs a lamp and charges.
The scientist wrestles with his crazed partner and seizes the lamp from him. The madman bites him on the shoulder. The scientist beats his partner on the head and shoulder repeatedly until the lunatic finally unclenches his teeth and falls to the ground dead.
The scientist falls back against the wall. He slides down the wall, landing in a crumpled mess on the floor. He holds his head in his hands and stares at his partner’s limp body, whose blood meanders toward him. Rivers fall from his eyes. His body shakes and convulses.
His eyes do not reflect what his mind sees.
The flames of hell surround him while demons dance around and torment him with everlasting pain.
“Madness is rare in individuals—but in groups, parties, nations, and ages it is the rule,” says Nietzsche.
December 5, 2013
Involve All The Senses
Hello! Welcome to my blog! I love having visitors. Those of you that visit my blog often know that I enjoy stimulating the different senses of my audience by adding art, photography, gifs and music to my various blog posts. If I could figure out a way to add smells I would (although that may not be a good idea in some cases, but for my recipe posts it would be great). Ha,ha!
I’ve been asked by several blogging friends to create an instructional post explaining how I put music on my blog. Today I’m attempting to do that. Please remember I’m no computer expert. I’m simply going to try to explain how I do it in the simplest way possible. Also keep in mind that I have a WordPress blog so it may be different if you have a dissimilar host
Sunni – FaerieMound Books
Lorraine Reguly – Lorraine Reguly’s Life
Firstly, I found this YouTube video you should definitely check it out. Tom Leblanc gives easy to follow instructions on how to put music on your blog using codes.
I have found most of my music at the Vimeo Music Store . On this site you can find royalty free music for your blog. There is free music available on this site, but you can also buy certain soundtracks.
Okay, here we go (hold on to your butts)…
How To Embed Music Into A Post
After you’ve visited Vimeo and saved your music to your downloads folder go to your post.
Place your bar where you would like the music to be added (where the player will show up on your post). Then click on add media at the top left side of the post window.
Clicking on Add Media will take you here. Click on upload files.
Once you click upload files this window will appear. Click on Select Files in the middle.
That will take you to your downloads folder. Choose the media (in this case music) that you would like to upload and click on it to highlight it.
Once highlighted(see the title in blue) you can click on Choose.
You will see your media uploading. How long it takes depends on the size of your file.
Once you see that your media (music file) has uploaded.
Click Insert Into Post (blue button located at the lower right corner).
Once you’ve clicked to insert your music you will see a URL code on your post. You will not see the image of your player until you publish your post.
Most likely this is what your player will look like after you’ve published your post (It may look different if your Mp3 player is not the same as mine).
Well, there you have it! I hope I was helpful. If you have any questions go ahead and leave them in the comment section.
December 2, 2013
“Turn It Up Tuesday” Blog Hop
Hello everyone! Welcome! This month I am co-hosting “Turn It Up Tuesday” with Natasha Peter from Epic Mommy Adventures and several other lovely ladies, which you will meet as you read on. This is just another opportunity for writers, artists, beauty and food bloggers to grow their blog. So link up and have fun!
Welcome to the 12th week of Turn It Up Tuesdays!
We had a great week with some awesome posts!
Thank you to all that have linked up with us from week to week and welcome to those that have just found us!
Turn It Up Tuesdays is all about being happy and excited and energetic, and having fun! Link up your favorite posts and meet some awesome bloggers in return! Link up your funny stories, DIY posts, recipes, mommy moments – anything at all, as long as it is family-friendly. We want to laugh, be entertained, be inspired, and have a good time!
Welcome our hosts!
Natasha at Epic Mommy Adventures,
Jessica at The Wondering Brain
and Stacey at This Momma’s Ramblings!
Welcome our lovely co-hosts for December!
Megan from Meg’s Menagerie
Tiffany from Mrs Tee Love Life Laughter
Cathy from A Peek Into My Paradise
Maritza from Surprise You Are A Mom!
Marcie at Marcie’s Nook
Laura at 2 Girls With a Food Blog
Vashti from Vashti Quiroz-Vega’s Blog
Jan from An Ideal Mom
Interested in co-hosting?
If you are interested, please complete this form. Monthly co-hosts will be chosen on a first come first-serve basis. Co-hosts will receive free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures or Grow with Epic Mommy for 60 days!
And here are the posts featured for the Week:
Miranda at Myrabev’s Corner received the most likes…
and Veronica at Digiscrap Boutique received the most clicks! Congrats!
If you were featured above, feel free to share the badge below with pride on your blog or website!
And now The Best of the Best is…(drum roll please)
As the Best of the Best, you win free ad space on Epic Mommy Adventures or Grow With Epic Mommy for 60 days! Please showcase the badge below with pride on your blog! Natasha will be in touch to provide you with all the details!
My blog, Epic Mommy Adventures, is celebrating the 1st year blogiversary this month with a BIG giveaway! Enter for a chance to win an Amazon Kindle Fire + more prizes! Although we’ve started, we’re still taking co-hosts. It’s only $10! Sign up here!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
So now that you’ve seen the Featured and the Best of the Best, met our hosts and co-hosts, and saw our big giveaway, let’s get started!
Please add our button to your sidebar!
Link up your posts and earn the chance to be featured or become the Best of the Best on Turn It Up Tuesdays! We will feature the favorite posts each week! Share as many posts as you’d like!
Do you want to join in the voting fun? Have you seen a post that should have been featured because it was so awesome? Use the “like” feature to like your favorite posts and the post with the most likes will be Featured!
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December 1, 2013
“Meandering Mondays” Blog Hop & Linky Party!
Hi everyone! Welcome bloggers, writers, readers, artists, fashionistas, foodies…anyone with a blog! Thank you for visiting. Stacey Gannett from “This Momma’s Ramblings” invited me to co-host the “Meandering Monday Blog Hop”! I’m so excited and grateful for the opportunity! If you’d like to grow your blog and discover some great blogs to visit and follow in the process join me and link up!
Have fun!
Stacey’s words…
I would like to say thank you to all of our regular linkers and to all of the new ones who happen by, your support is wonderful!
Since we are in a new month, and that means we have new co-hosts, too! We have some great new co-hosts for December!
But first, let me welcome back my two linky party partners in crime…The wonderful Jessica from The Wondering Brain and Natasha from Epic Mommy Adventures.
And now for the wonderful group of ladies who have joined us as co-hosts for the month of December! If you would like to know more about each of these amazing ladies, please read “Welcome to my December Ladies”!
Without further ado, please welcome…
Millie & Kristina from 2 Crochet Hooks!
Tiffany a.k.a Mrs Tee from Mrs Tee Love Life Laughter
Sinea from Ducks N a Row
Vashti Q Vega from Vashti Q Vega’s Blog
Megan from Meg’s Menagerie
Be sure to stop by and share some love with each of these awesome ladies!
Grab a badge and join the party!
Now it is time to introduce our favorite This Momma’s Meanderer’s from last week, and boy oh boy it was a difficult choice! Don’t forget to grab your “I Was Featured” badge of honor! Congratulations to you all!
Jessica’s favorite post came from, Domain of the Mad Mommy with the post “Poor Monday“
Saying, “It reallly is Monday not me! The song Manic Monday is now singing in my head: “It’s just another manic Monday. I wish it were Sunday because that’s my fun day. It’s just another manic Monday!” Yup! I got you singing it too 
.”
Natasha’s favorite post came from, Ms Moozys Open House with the post “Hot Cocoa Station and More“
Saying, “Although I don’t have one crafty bone in my body, I love to see the crafts that people come up with. It’s just beautiful and amazing to me! This post is no exception. Being the hot cocoa addict that I am, the Hot Coco station drew me “
Cathy’s favorite came from Juggling Food, Family, and Chaos with the post “Mini Pumpkin Cheeescake Bites“
Saying, “I love everything pumpkin! And I especially love these even more since they are no bake. Perfect size for portion control too!”
Miranda’s favorite post came from, Dizzy Busy and Hungry with the post “Raspberry Gimlet”
Saying, “This cocktail spoke to me all week!”
Melissa’s favorite post came from, La Strawberry Adventures with the post, “Crawfish Corn Soup”
My favorite post came from, Dizzy Busy and Hungry also, with the “PB Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies”
Oh my! These look fabulous and will be a definite on the holiday baking agenda! You can never go wrong with this combination!
Congratulations to all of you amazing and wonderful ladies! Don’t forget to grab and display our “Featured” badge!
Thank you to all of you who joined us last week!
Now let’s get this party started!
Remember everyone enjoys a little comment love!
Feel free to “meander” by some fellow bloggers and find a new recipe to make for the family, a helpful blogging tip, a funny story to read, and best of all a new friend to make! There are really no rules to follow, only some suggestions to keep in mind…because we are all to enjoy the friendships that come along by doing these few simple and wonderful things…
1. Link up your favorite story, recipe, photo, or helpful tip…As many as you want!
2. Please follow our Host’s and Co-host’s
3. Find some new friends to follow, friendships are what it’s all about!
4. Be sure to leave some comment love, to get it in return.
5. Grab our badge and display on your blog, sharing the love is what it’s all about.
Meander through the links and make some new friends, find some amazing and useful tips, and maybe even a new treat to try!
I am looking for January co-hosts for This Momma’s Meandering Mondays? If interested, please drop me a line at ssgannett@gmail.com. I would love to have you along for the ride! You can also check out my sponsor page for more info.
This Momma’s Meandering Mondays, now offers more ways to link up all of your favorite sites, so that we have more opportunity to Meander around and share the love! So happy Linking everyone!
Blog Link Up:
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Facebook Link Up:
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Twitter Link Up:
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November 28, 2013
Happy Thanksgiving Day!
Hello! Thank you for visiting and following my blog. Thank you for the encouragement and support. I appreciate all of you very much. I enjoy reading and responding to your comments. I also want to wish all of you a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving Day! For those of you that do not celebrate Thanksgiving I want to wish you a happy, peaceful day as well.
Today I’m going to share a cute Thanksgiving poem and another tradition we have here in the USA on Thanksgiving Day: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade!
A Naughty Little Pumpkin’s Fate
A queer little pumpkin, a jolly fat fellow,
Stood close to his mother so rotund and yellow.
“What a stupid old place! How I long to aspire,”
Cried he, “I was destined for something much higher.”
*
“My son,” said his mother, “pray do be content,
There’s great satisfaction in life that’s well spent!”
But he shrugged up his shoulders, this pumpkin, ‘t is true,
And acted just like some bad children will do.
*
With a shout and a whoop, in the garden they ran,
Tom and Ned, for they’d thought of the loveliest plan
To astonish their friends from the city, you see,
With fine Jack-o’-lantern–”Ah, this one suits me!”
*
Ned seized the bad pumpkin, and dug out his brains,
Till he felt so light-headed and brimful of pains;
Then two eyes, a long nose, and a mouth big and wide,
They cut in a minute, and laid him aside
*
Until night, when they hung him upon a stout limb,
With a candle inside; how his poor head did swim,
As they twisted him this way, then twirled him round that,
Till at last, with a crash, he fell on the ground flat,
*
A wreck of the once jolly, fat little fellow,
Who stood by his mother so rotund and yellow.
Just then a lean cow, who was passing that way,
Ate him up to finish Her “Thanksgiving Day.”
~ Author Unknown
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
And the grand finale…Santa Claus!
November 22, 2013
A Thankful Heart
Hello and welcome! Yay! It’s Friday! Thank you for visiting my blog. Today I have compiled a mix of quotes and poems with related topics and recipes. I know, it may seem a little strange, random and mismatched, but it’s well thought out. My friends would say it’s a Vashti-ism. Maybe it is, but I hope you enjoy it. ;D
Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths. At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings.
~ J. Robert Moskin
You can get this yummy Cheese Straws recipe at smitten kitchen
Ah! On Thanksgiving day…
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before.
What moistens the lips and what brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich pumpkin pie?
~ John Greenleaf Whittier
Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie
Get the recipe at Simply Recipes by Elise Bauer
Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.
~ Theodore Roosevelt
Forever on Thanksgiving Day
The heart will find the pathway home.
~ Wilbur D. Nesbit
Feed the Homeless in Your Community During the Holidays . . . and Throughout the Year
Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live.
~ Jacqueline Winspear
If there’s someone that lives gracefully that would be Kim from The Kim Challenge
Visit her blog for a Tres Leches Cake recipe. You will thank me later.
A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.
~ Cicero
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
~ Johannes A. Gaertner
Today is my little pomeranian’s birthday! He is 16 years old! I am so grateful to have had another year with my little buddy. Happy Birthday Rascal!
Rascal Quiroz-Vega
Thanksgiving, man. Not a good day to be my pants.
~ Kevin James
I just thought this was hilarious (and in some cases true), and I love this guy.
Kevin James
November 19, 2013
Thank you!
Hi everyone and welcome to my blog! My first novel, The Basement, is doing well! I want to thank all my fans and followers because without you guys this would not be possible. I also wanted to share my new book trailer with you (above). I love it! I hope you do too!
Today, I am going to interview a significant person in my life. I’ve come to know him very well.
I speak of a young boy who goes by the name of Robbie. He is the main character in The Basement: Robbie’s Rite of Passage. Some of you have already gotten to know him quite well, others are in the process of getting to know him, but there are still many that have never heard of him.
Whether you’ve read The Basement already or have not had the chance to yet, Robbie is a boy worth getting to know, and this interview will reveal things that I don’t even know. So there will be surprises even for me.
I expect Robbie will be here at any moment.
(The sudden resonating echo of knuckles rapping on a door.)
Oh! That must be Robbie now.
(The clicking of high heels resound on the floor as Vashti, who dressed up for the occasion, walks to the door and opens it.)
Robbie’s here! I’m trembling with excitement. He is a handsome boy with eyes that reflect wisdom beyond his eleven years, along with a bit of sorrow. He has a dulcet smile. I can tell he’s nervous because he’s tugging on his checkered shirt, and his big brown eyes have not yet settled on one spot. Hmmm, I think we should get started before he changes his mind.
Robbie
Vashti: Hi Robbie, how are you?
Robbie: Great!
Vashti: Lets have a seat and get comfortable so that we may start.
Robbie: Okay. (He looks around and sits with his hands together, rubbing them slightly.)
Vashti: Robbie, are you nervous?
Robbie: Um, yeah! (He giggles.)
Vashti: Well, don’t be nervous. I’m just going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to be as honest as possible with your answers. Your fans want to get to know you better. What do you think about that?
Robbie: That’s really cool.
Vashti: Who brought you to the interview?
Robbie: My mom.
Vashti: Oh, good! I’d like to meet her.
Robbie: I’m pretty sure she wants to meet you, too. You should go talk to her after this.
Vashti: I will certainly do that, Robbie. Now, lets get started.
(Robbie swallows hard and fidgets around a bit.)
Vashti: Robbie, do you enjoy school?
Robbie: Sometimes…um most of the times.
Vashti: When do you not enjoy school?
Robbie: Ah, there are, um, kids that pick on me sometimes.
Vashti: Why do they pick on you?
Robbie: I don’t know. I guess because I’m smaller than they are, and like, I get good grades and they don’t.
Vashti: Yes, you are an honor student. Your parents must be very proud.
Robbie: My mom is. (He lowers his head.)
Vashti: Your mom? How about your dad?
Robbie: (He shakes his head.) He doesn’t care. He’d rather I be an athlete like he was before he hurt his knee. He thinks I’m a wimp. I guess I am.
Vashti: Why, because you don’t play sports? That does not make you a wimp!
Robbie: My dad sure thinks so. He doesn’t care that I get straight A’s. My mom does care and we celebrate, just the two of us, on report card day.
Vashti: That’s very nice. How do you and your mom celebrate?
Robbie: We go to a bookstore in our neighborhood, and I get to pick out any book I want, and then we go for ice cream! (His face lights up.)
Vashti: That sounds like fun.
Robbie: It is.
Vashti: Robbie, do you think your father loves you?
Robbie: (His eyes fall to the ground, and he slumps a bit.) I guess he has to because he’s my dad, but he doesn’t like me. He wishes Nathan, Nestor or even Freddie were his son instead of me, I’m sure.
Vashti: Tell us — who are these people you mentioned?
Robbie: Oh! Nathan is one of my best friends, and he’s a very nice guy. We know Nestor from church. He’s a youth leader. All the kids look up to him. We call Freddie Spiderman because he’s the strongest teen in the neighborhood, and he does “Daredevil” stuff that no one else dares to do.
Vashti: What makes you think your father would rather have one of them as his son instead of you?
Robbie: My dad doesn’t yell at them or call them names like he does me. He puts his arm around them and pats them on the back when they do something that pleases him. I guess I never make him happy because he never does that to me.
Vashti: Tell me about Natasha.
Robbie: (He turns beet red and giggles.) What do you want to know about her?
Vashti: What is she like?
Robbie: She’s the most beautiful girl I know. She’s really smart, and she’s athletic too. She always beats me in a race. She and Barney are my very best friends. (Big grin.)
Vashti: Tell me about Barney. Do you think your father would want him as a son?
Robbie: Nah! Barney is too much like me. He’s a nerd, too! (He giggles.)
Vashti: Robbie, I’ve heard some disturbing news about something your father wants you to do. Could you tell me about that?
Robbie: Um. He… he wants me to go down to our basement at night. He thinks that if I go down there in the dark and kill the mice that nest there, I will prove to him and the neighbors that I’m a real man.
Vashti: What? You’re only eleven years old!
Robbie: I know! I told him that, but he says I have to do it anyway.
Vashti: Will you do it? Will you go down to the basement? At night?
Robbie: I have to! If I don’t, my father will go on believing that I’m a wimp and a scaredy cat. He’ll continue to call me names and embarrass me in front of my friends. I have to do it!
Vashti: Have you ever been down to your basement before?
Robbie: No, but everyone knows that there are creatures living in that basement.
Vashti: Creatures? What kind of creatures?
Robbie: No one knows for sure, but Barney’s cousin saw one. It nearly killed him!
Vashti: That’s terrible! Surely your father doesn’t know about the creatures. Otherwise he wouldn’t be sending you down there.
Robbie: He’s heard the rumors, but he doesn’t believe them. Anyway, he’s too drunk to care whether it’s true or not. I guess tonight I will find out unless my dad changes his mind. (Robbie stares straight ahead and tugs on his shirtsleeves.)
Vashti: Okay! Well, that is the end of our interview. Thank you so much for stopping by, Robbie. It was a real pleasure having you. Oh, and tell your mom to wait for me a moment while I wrap this up.
Robbie: Thank you. Bye!
(Robbie smiles faintly and walks away.)
Oh, I’m sure his father will reconsider and not make him go down to that scary basement. If not, surely his mother will not allow it, right? Of course! Robbie will be alright. Won’t he?
The Basement main character Robbie
Robbie’s dulcet smile
Available in paperback and ebook
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