Gratitude

 

During this busy time of the season, we sometimes forget to slow down. ♥¸.•*¨*A friend of mine on Facebook reminded me how important it is to take the time to acknowledge what we are truly thankful for by posting day to day gratitude notes until December 25th ♥¸.•*¨* So on my Facebook I  started “My Days Of Christmas Gratitude Notes” ♥¸.•*¨* I encourage everyone to take the time to acknowledge the things you are grateful for, instead of concentrating on all the things we don’t have...I am grateful to the amazing Universe for providing so many serendipitous events throughout my live and the intuition to recognize them when they happen. ♥¸.•*¨*  I am grateful for the simple things that we sometimes take for granted ♥¸.•*¨* The small things or circumstances that make us smile ♥¸.•*¨* These tiny jewels help us to see the bigger things in life that we should be thankful for ♥¸.•*¨* Gratitude is a big word and it means so much ♥¸.•*¨* Gratitude for life and the life you live, for those who fill your life and give it meaning ♥¸.•*¨*. All this in three little syllables ♥¸.•*¨* I chose a photo of a cardinal to symbolize that you should see the 'big' in the 'small ♥¸.•*¨* Everywhere is something to be grateful for ♥¸.•*¨* Today I will not take anything for granted.  ♥¸.•*¨* I am grateful for nostalgia♥¸.•*¨* That magical rush of memories I feel each and every time at this special Season Of Bliss ♥¸.•*¨* Christmas will always be a day of remembrances, a day in which we think of everything and everyone we have ever loved ♥¸.•*¨* As we remember loved ones who are absent, we should embrace the wistfulness and the happy times it may bring to mind ♥¸.•*¨* These memories are like a gift, a loving gift for us to to be able to keep alive their memory ♥¸.•*¨* I live in gratitude to my loved ones and the memories that surround me this Christmas ♥¸.•*¨* I feel we should take comfort in the memories,  when they bring smiles to our faces and even when they bring tears of love to our eyes ღ❄н

♥¸.•*☼*•.¸♥¸.•*☼*•.¸♥¸.•*☼*•.¸♥
Ｍｅｒｒｙ ℂｈrｉｓｔｍａｓ
♥¸.•*☼*•.¸♥¸.•*☼*•.¸♥¸.•*☼*•.¸♥
Ƭo sεε ȶђε sacяεd, ωε ɱust sɭoω dowɳ...
`ƛȶ ȶђis gεɳȶɭe Sεasoɳ, ɱaყ ყou ʄiɳd ȶimε ȶo
Єɳjoყ Ƭђe Bεauȶყ of εacђ quiεȶ ɱoɱεɳȶ`
ღ © Hεlεɳa ωђίԵε

Spaghetti & Meat Sauce from my Kitchen

I remember one of my first cookbooks was The Betty Crocker Cook Book. I still have it after all these years. It’s bright red cover is still intact except for the the duct tape now holding the spine together lol! My mother never made spaghetti sauce. Her menu was strictly meat and potatoes, with fish on Fridays. The closest she came to making a pasta dish was macaroni and cheese, which by the way I love, so you might want to check back for here that recipe in one of my future posts. Anyway, I digress. 

I remember the first time I tasted homemade tomato sauce, I became hooked. I recall thumbing through my Betty Crocker Cook Book until I found a recipe called, Italian Spaghetti. So off to the grocery store I went to get all the ingredients for my first homemade tomato and meat sauce. Then I noticed that the recipe called for two envelopes of  Italian style spaghetti sauce mix! What! Italian style? This isn’t homemade? I brooded to myself, now what? I wasn’t about to be defeated. I found all the fresh ingredients that recipe called for and I even found the Italian style envelopes Ha! I starred at the packets in my hand. Why I even started to put them in my grocery cart. 

But as I was about to drop them in my cart feeling defeated, I noticed an ingredient list on the back of the package…hum? The ingredient list included oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, among a few others. I thought, why didn't they just give list these spices in the recipe? So, with my cart full with all the ingredients, including all the important spices, I was back on track for making my first tomato and meat sauce. All these many years later, after a few tweaks here and there, I came up with a sauce that has become my family and friends favorite. 

With November upon us, You’re coaxed to your kitchen with calls for comfort foods, cooking spicy savory stews, tomato sauces, casseroles, chicken pot pie and the like. You find yourself craving these delicious mouth watering informal meals and plan for your first pasta dinner of the freezin’ season. Enjoy!

Helena's Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients

1 to 2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 large chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped red pepper
4 chopped celery stalks
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 minced garlic cloves
1 large can of plain tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paste
1 large can of plum tomatoes {or diced}
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
½ tsp. seasoning salt
½ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. dry mustard
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Brown ground beef . Stir in onions, peppers,
celery, garlic, mushrooms, cook until just tender.
Stir in spices and bay leaves. Add tomato sauce,
canned tomatoes & paste.
Cover & simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

Serve over your favorite pasta.
Pass the Parmesan cheese and crusty bread!!!

Note: I use to use 2 lbs of lean ground beef, I now use only 1 lb 

☻ѽ☻ ĩŦ'Ş ɱΛɢĩ¢ Ŧĩɱ£! ☻ѽ☻

ომցἶƈ  ომցἶƈ  ომցἶƈ ომցἶƈ ომցἶƈ ომցἶƈ ომցἶƈ  

☆☾ ☽☆☾ ☽☆☾☽☆☾ ☽☆☾ ☽☆☾ ☽☆☾ ☽☆☾☽☆

When darkness falls,

you cannot speak

Because you imagine

the spooks and the creeps

Ghostly sounds

create despair

Shadows envelope

everywhere

Wicked winds whisper,

Yet nothing is seen

No need to worry

It’s just Halloween!

Children disguised

arrive at your door

Pumpkins, masks,

candy galore

With breathless impatience,

the trick-or treat rush

For Halloween’s magic

is now upon us

☻Ѽ ☻Ѽ ☻Ѽ ☻☻Ѽ☻☻Ѽ ☻Ѽ ☻Ѽ ☻☻Ѽ☻

Ʈяick oя Ʈяεat  Ʈяick oя ƮяεatƮяick oя Ʈяεat

.☀´¯`•.☀☆
¯`•.¸¸.☆¯`•.¸☆
¸☆..•´¯`•☀¸☆¸.☀´¯`•.☀☆⁺ི)✿
✿.(ྀ
.ི৲)⁺.✿╠╣αppy Ѽ ╠╣αlloween!
⁺✿ ((৴ྀ
ི৲)) . ✿⁺
. . ((৴ྀ ♥

  ѼӇαłłøωeen Ƥυмρκın☻Ɠнσstℓу Sσυη∂ѕ ✯ Spookta¢ulaя Ɠɧσşŧş

^v^ IԵ'ṡ ʍɑɢɨc Ƭɨɱε
✫✫¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.✯

Posted for
Posted for D'verse Poets Pub - OpenLinkNight. 

~ The Gooseberry Garden:   The Halloween Special  

Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Halloween share

 The Sunday Whirl

Thought Of The Day

¸.´¯`·.☆♥ Thought of the day¸.´¯`·.☆♥ When we eat junk food, our body is still searching for nutrients and you "of course" still feel hungry¸.´¯`·.☆♥ Your body will continue to search for more of the food that it "Needs".¸.´¯`·.☆♥  Please feed my hunger and restore my right mind ¸.´¯`·.☆♥

 

 

A Portal To Love ~ Remembering Chantelle

A Portal To Love

Where is the girl with the golden hair

She lives in a place not far from here

How can I find her
Where do I start

All your to do is
Look with your heart.

Where is this place
How can this be

You arrive everyday,
Only eyes cannot see

You must look with your soul
Trust in your heart
You can visit in dreams
You can feel and take part

You’ll sense her in spirit
Where true Love runs free
Her gifts from the heart
Show what eyes cannot see

Chantelle Lee Lace  
My beautiful daughter
November 25 1975 ~ October 2 1992
Today marks nineteen years. 
I cannot believe it has been that long. 
~ Your essence is with me everyday ~
Your Love is ever-present..

Mom



♥༻ Faith is daring the soul 
to go beyond what the eyes can see༺♥

Posted at OpenLinkNight

Romancing The Past

 

Tranquil scene

Like an old & familiar friend

Welcomed Déjà vu

Peace once again

High-spirited dreams

Rose-coloured theme

Aura of mystique abound

Charming treasures found

Timeless secret portal

Come what may

Evoke forgotten memories

Of by-gone days

 

Amazing weekend away at Niagara On The Lake ☆¸.♥´¯`ི♥ྀ Just what I needed ~  Perfect Weather ~ Delicious Meals ☆¸.♥´¯`ི♥ྀ  Fun Shopping ~ Horse & Carriage Ride ~ High Tea ☆¸.♥´¯`ི♥ྀ  Fantastic Theater ~ My Fair Lady & Cat On A Hot Tin Roof ☆¸.♥´¯`ི♥ྀ  Beautiful Canterbury Inn ☆¸.♥´¯`ི♥ྀ It's always great to get away, but there is "No Place Like Home ~ No place Like Home home" ☆¸.♥´¯`ི♥ྀ

Shared with dversepoets.com ~ openlinknight

A Walk In The Park

There was bright sky's this afternoon as my husband and I walked along the river and through our beautiful park. The crows caw overhead, spurring on the change of season, just as I am trying to change my routine to hopefully change my mood. 

Many who know me may not realize the struggle I have had with depression my entire life. I’ve become quite a little actress, it seems.  Just when I think that I am making strives, I seem to stumble, having to battle my way back once again.  I  often times wrestle with melancholy, which seems to be close to the surface. 

 What I'm finding helpful is to become more cognizance of my thoughts, meditating to remain conscious and aware. I remind myself to try to stay in the present and to release any expectations so I may purge this enemy for good. I know my tears fall from a place of love, so I must hold tight to that love and let it stay to comfort my soul. I must try thinking differently, knowing that my mind clutter is just a record of all that I have experienced and that releasing what once was is all right and as it should be. 

Depression is difficult to understand, especially for those looking in from the outside. It's taxing to try and make sense of it all. So I am resolved to accept my on again off again melancholy as a part of who I am; that sadness is somehow a vital part of my journey. You cannot live through such losses without an undercurrent of sadness remaining. 

Today's walk in the park opened my eyes to this as an amazing epiphany, as a sudden intuitive leap of understanding. 

A walk out in nature helped me realize that each tomorrow is a new beginning just waiting for me to grab hold and start anew.

 

 Photos by Helena

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
~ Marianne Williamson

Forget-Me-Not-Fall

Early morning bird songs change according to the season.
On these last days of summer, the crows take the stage.
They caw with such enthusiasm, announcing that
autumn is returning once again.
Today the air is close, filled with humidity
~ the aftermath of recent storms.
A subtle breeze stirs the stale, close air.
This quiet stillness of morning is interrupted by
Canadian geese flying overhead ~
Their honking is loud, overpowering the crows call.

Autumn, my favourite season with its vivid colours
that are so intoxicating, yet nevertheless bittersweet.
No other season causes me to look back, nor makes me
more nostalgic or fills me with such an intuitive sense of
longing for the past, than autumn.
Blazing fall colours awaken long-forgotten, heartfelt memories.
Emotional recollections are stirred up and rustle like leaves
that are gathered in neat little piles.

Even with all that fall brings to light, I still look forward to the days that are brighter than the balmiest days of summer, when the sun’s sultry glow charms the fringe of the world.
Sinking in a red glow, the warm inviting sun reflects the bright jewels of autumn. Therefore, I must learn to honour my soul the freedom to savour the views of gilded gold's, rustic reds and outrageous oranges that are scattered across our fall landscape. To once again allow myself the joy of autumn evenings,which bring on brisk air ~ turning leaves and a larger-than-life setting sun that is still radiant beneath the horizon.

Posted for D'verse poets ~ Open Link Night
hosted by Joy Jones ~ the Hedgewitch

Welcome to Memory Box Creations 

Autumnal Magic

ೋღ♥ღೋ

Autumn spendor reveals

Gentle melancholy mood

All felt through spirit

As sunset gilded

Our Fall

 ೋღ♥ღೋ

 

Posted for D'verse Poets ~ Open Link Night

Autumn Morn

ೋღ  ღೋ

While dawn’s ascent 

shepherds in golden hues

scattered by silent rays 

of delicate morning light

to wish goodness with 

rainbow dayspring views

under the maples as 

cardinals, take flight

Sunlight polished 

kaleidoscope prisms bright

to blossom upon 

gossamer pastel sky’s

unveiling embellishments 

as breezes sigh

ೋღ  ღೋ

Posted for D'Verse Poets Pub ~ Open Link Night