Toasting Marshmallows

This morning I awoke at 1:00 a.m., again at 3:00 a.m., and for the final time when the alarm sounded at 5:45 a.m.  An angry chest cold was the culprit, but honestly, today I do not care.  I arrived at work early wearing curls and a smile.  Today is going to be a great day.  Why?  Because I said so, and that is reason enough.

Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there. ~Norman Vincent Peale

I've decided that the stuff falling through the cracks is confetti and I'm having a party! ~Betsy Cañas Garmon 

It's that time of year. ~ This weekend, McKenzie will come 'home' from college to hunt with her dad.  They have been sharing this autumnal ritual for nearly a decade now.  Venison.  Chili.  Sausage.  We shall see!  As for me, I'll be enjoying a jaunt to smalltown Belle, Missouri for a little "Christmas in the Cabin" at Lonestar Farm.  I love this annual excursion with my mom and daughters.  It's a holiday tradition and I am looking forward to it!  The scent of mulled cider, shortbread cookies, ornaments, greenery, shopping for Christmas goodies...and the horse.  I cannot forget the horse.  Lane and Ally love petting that beast!

The excursion is the same when you go looking for your sorrow as when you go looking for your joy. ~Eudora Welty

I have been organizing files in the classroom and came across one of my favorite poems.  It was written seven years ago by a former student.  She wrote it early in her second grade year, and given that fact, its beauty is even more astounding. 

November Fields

~ a poem ~

by Allison Mollenkamp

 A fall wind blows across the fields,

And makes the grasses sway.

The leaves are falling from the trees

That grow across the fence.

The corn is drying quickly;

It will soon be ripe.

The sun is high but getting dull,

The moon will soon rise high.

Little birds chirp their last,

And fly off to the South.

Little things are scampering off,

Into their little homes.

The air is getting cold for night.

The farmer has gone home.

Of late I've been missing my dad a lot.  This time of year is especially difficult for me in that way.  Sometimes those of us missing a father try to compensate in ways that hurt deeply.  I really must stop...Nil conscire sibi. Nevertheless, I have decided to make a concerted effort

• to let the past lie where it will, 

I've got dreams in hidden places and extra smiles for when I'm blue. ~Author Unknown

• to be present in the present,

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. ~Joseph Campbell

• and to focus on the blessings instead.

Sometimes life's Hell.  But hey!  Whatever gets the marshmallows toasty.  ~J. Andrew Helt

Comfort food, too, is delightful this time of year.  Here's a new favorite.  Enjoy. 

Baked Spaghetti Casserole

~ from my house to yours ~

1 pkg. (16 oz.) Angel Hair pasta
1.5 pounds ground beef
1 jar (32 oz.) spaghetti sauce
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
2 cans (10 3/4 oz.) undiluted cream of mushroom soup
1.5 cups (8 oz.) sour cream
4 cups (8 oz.) shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, brown beef.  Drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and tomato sauce.  Mix well.  Drain pasta, then add to beef and pasta sauce and stir well.  Mix soup and sour cream in a separate bowl.  Mix well.  Spray 9x13 pan or 2 8-inch pans.  Add 1/2 layer of beef and pasta mixture.  Add layer of 1/2 of soup mixture.  Add 1/2 of cheese.  Th4en repeat layers.  Bake 350 degr4ees for 55 or 65 minutes or until cheese is melted.  To bake frozen casserole:  Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.  Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.  Bake as directed.  Can be kept frozen up to 3 months.

Your heart is a sun -

Joy its stars,

Faith a moon, shining in your darkness...

~Terri Guillemets