Fall and Christmas flowers planting

'Tis the season to plant for fall and holiday   color...

Happy Halloween 2011

Did you know that Halloween is ALSO All Hallows Eve / Reformation Day?  If you are not of the Reformed  Christian faith, you may not know what happened that day.   Hint:  Martin Luther.  (THE original Martin Luther)  Is it OK to celebrate either? or both?  Here are my thoughts from a previous blog post.

Much of the country is having terrible weather today/tonight, but if you take your children out, be safe. Be careful.  Be alert.

Many of the decorations are too spooky to put on here and I thought some were in bad taste.  Here are a few sights and tastes of Halloween:

Friends whose cat stood up straight for about 1 hour as far as I know...

My  husband and I saw this coming home one night this weekend...

My younger son's first attempt at pumpkin carving...he even won a prize!

A few tasty recipes for your trick or treaters...

Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Halloween Cookies

Snack Mix

AND a few items in my Ebay store that are Halloween related.

To see these listings, go to THIS LINK.

Happy 4th of July! Table Decorations and An Easy Dessert / Capitol Fourth

Happy 4th of July!!!

Our 4th of July table (actually the day before since we were at the beach on July 4):  neutral placemats, white plates, red and white napkins, red flowers...  use what you have on hand.

This red, white and blue dessert is so easy...

• Fresh blueberries
• Fresh strawberries
• Homemade whipped cream

Put the mixed berries in a pretty glass dish. Add a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.  Mmm...

Enjoy the holiday!    We're off to the beach with friends for the day (and evening)!  Our late lunch/early dinner menu:  hamburgers, hot dogs, fresh snapper, corn on the cob, baked beans, salad, watermelon... I used the blueberries & strawberries and whipped cream to top a homemade a pound cake I baked for our dessert.  Sliced not too thin, it served 22.  Mmmm...[Recipe is from The Dinner Doctor by Anne Byrn]

Don't forget to watch (or set your DVR like we will)  A Capitol Fourth on PBS tonight!  Check local listings for details. We rarely miss it.

October 31: Halloween AND Reformation Day

I don't typically blog on Sundays but this one written by our pastor on Saturday  is excellent on Reformation Day which is the same day as Halloween.  If you are unfamiliar with this phrase and its meaning, here you go...

Tomorrow we observe Reformation Day at OGC.

Reformed churches of many types mark October 31 each year as the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation in church history when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the Wittenburg door.

In the morning I will preach from Habakkuk 2:4b a message entitled The Verse That Launched the Protestant Reformation.

Then in the evening we will gather back at the SDA facility for a family celebration of Reformation Day for all ages.

We will assemble in the auditorium for an introduction and instructions. Then we will proceed to the fellowship hall for variety of kid-friendly activities in different booths designed to teach our children and families about various aspects of this most important event in church history. For example we will have a carpenter shop for nail hammering races, an alms booth with penny pitching, a Wittenburg door to dramatize the nailing of the 95 theses, just to name a few. Light refreshments will be served.

Then we will process back to the auditorium to conclude with among other things, songs and a special presentation by . . . oh well, just come and see and enjoy!

We owe much to the work of God in the 16th century that brought about the reforms that shape our church to this very day.

Let’s join together tomorrow in remembering and giving thanks!

Pastor Curt's blog is HERE

My Halloween blog from 2009 is HERE.

I'm the photographer for this event so I'll post photos later.   For those trick-or-treating tonight, have fun.  I'll be giving out candy but only until I leave for this event.

Habakkuk 2:4b

But the righteous will live by his faith.

Our pastor dressed as Martin Luther and explained the significance of the evening at the end.
Here he is "nailing" the 95 Theses to Castle Door.



German food

Singing the Doxology

If you are friends with me on Facebook I have an album with more photos from this event.  
It contains photos of families and children so there is no public access.

July 4 Fourth of July / How to Display Your American Flag/ A Capitol Fourth on PBS

I hope everyone is flying their flag high today (maybe even for the whole weekend).  Many people may not know that there IS actually a proper way to display it.  For a quick refresher course, check out the link below which was  sent to me by a friend this week.   Thanks, Jacque.

Displaying the U.S. Flag

Also, if you have Bright House cable, there is a TV station that airs seasonal music, Channel 433. [The number might be different outside the Orlando area.]  They are playing patriotic music this weekend.  I usually forget that cable has these music stations. I turn the picture off and just listen to the music.  Thanks, Susan, for this tip.

July 4th Television Music Specials

A CAPITOL FOURTH:  Be sure to watch A Capitol Fourth LIVE on PBS tonight at 8:00 p.m. It's one of our favorite patriotic activities on the 4th of July.  More info at THIS LINK.

This July 4, America’s national Independence Day celebration will mark 30 spectacular years on air featuring the most dazzling display of fireworks anywhere in the nation, captured by 18 TV cameras stationed around Washington, D.C.

The 30th anniversary broadcast will be hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jimmy Smits, with unrivaled performances from some of the country’s biggest musical names – including multiple Grammy, CMA and ACM Award-winning country music superstar Reba McEntire, legendary R & B artist Gladys Knight, country music sensation Darius Rucker (Hootie & the Blowfish), singerDavid Archuleta (American Idol), and actor and singerJohn Schneider, as well as world-renowned classical pianistLang Lang with the National Symphony Orchestraunder the direction of top pops conductor Jack Everly and the Choral Arts Society of Washington, under the direction of Norman Scribner. (additional talent to be announced).

The July 4th concert finale includes Tchaikovsky's “1812 Overture” – featuring the U.S. Army Herald Trumpets and complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Presidential Salute Battery. Also featured are the U.S. Army Ceremonial Band, the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, the Joint Armed Forces Color Guard and the State and Territorial Flags of the Military District of Washington.






BOSTON POPS:  Also on tonight, on CBS, 10:00 p.m. is the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.  More info is at THIS LINK.

FAMILY & FRIENDS: Labor Day

Psalm 118:24

This is the day which the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Not much time to blog today except to say that it's going to be a fun family day for us. Our older son will be home for the whole day with another family coming later in the afternoon for dinner. Hamburgers on the grill, watermelon, corn on the cob...Mmmm...Enjoy your holiday with family and friends, too!