Friday Funnies #4

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Facts:

Thanksgiving was a one time deal for the pilgrims. They didn’t celebrate it year after year. It didn’t become a holiday until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday. He set the holiday to be celebrated on the 5th Thursday of November. Today, we celebrate Thanksgiving on the 4th Thursday. Franklin D. Roosevelt set this change in 1939 due to the holiday coming too close to Christmas.

Thanksgiving Wallpaper


Easy Turkey Gravy

5 cups turkey stock with pan drippings
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour

In a large saucepan, bring the turkey stock to a boil. Stir in the soup and season with the poultry seasoning, pepper, seasoned salt and garlic powder. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer.

In the microwave, warm the milk. Whisk in the flour until there are no lumps. Return the gravy to a boil and gradually stir in the milk mixture. Continue to cook for 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly. Be careful not to let the bottom scorch.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving



Part 2

Page 3

Part 4

Johnny Cash sings a Thanksgiving Prayer on Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman



Billybear4kids Thanksgiving desktop critters



download here

Billy Bears Thanksgiving Pages
here

Sometimes, this page will set off spyware software or virus software. The little critters have back links that go back to BillyBear4Kids. It's never caused a problem for me and I've been a fan of this site for years.

A Sweet Saturday

My daughter and granddaughter and I spent Saturday making candy. I really had a good time with them.

We used a Chocolate Heaven Deluxe Kit. I bought one for myself and for my two daughters last year. It's an electric fondue pot with utensils and candy molds, etc. It looks like a tiny crockpot.

I bought a tub of milk chocolate and dark chocolate discs from The Chocoley Company (Chocoley.com) and some white drizzle chocolate and some butter cream filling. I hear marshmallow cream also does well.


We got some mini vanilla wafers and put the butter cream filling between two wafers, placed them firmly together and dipped them into the melted chocolate (half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate). We put them in the refrigerator for a while to help with the drying.



We put the remaining chocolate into the candy molds that came with the fondue pot.

They went into the freezer to cool and harden for a little while. In the meantime, we put the bottle of white drizzle chocolate discs into a bowl of hot water to melt.



We took the chocolate out of the mold, took the tip off the drizzle chocolate bottle and my daughter decorated the candy. My granddaughter put the sprinkes on by herself!


After that, she got to make her own chocolate, red and green sprinkled flags and then she ate them. Of course, little brother had to get in on the action. It was a chocolate feast!

Grab a Christmas Cartoon

Being a Grandmother to little ones is so much fun. I have someone to watch cartoons with! My 4-year old granddaughter and my 2-year old grandson and I have been watching some great Christmas cartoons on youtube this year. One of my favorites is Noel.

Noel is an animated Christmas special that aired in the early 1990's about an ornament who has a happiness. It is narrated by Charlton Heston. A few years ago, I looked everywhere for it and could find no information on it at all. You just couldn't buy it. Apparently, it has never been released on DVD. Finally, I was able to get a copy from someone who converted their VHS. Now somebody has posted it to Youtube. I think it's a wonderful Christmas cartoon. I have posted the Youtube links or you can watch it from here.

Part 1



Part 2


Part 3


If you'd rather burn it to DVD to watch it, you can grab the video from youtube.

For Firefox
Video Download Helper

If you are a die hard Internet Exlorer user, you can download Video Detect. I personally have not used it and cannot vouch for it. Remember to check for ratings and comments on software before downloading if you don't know someone who has used it. It can damage your computer or contain spyware or viruses. i just looked to see if there was anything for Explorer versus Firefox to give you another option.

For Internet explorer
Video Detect

This particular video has the option to download the HQ mp4. On most burning software, there's no need to convert. You can just burn the video.
If you ever do have to download an flv file, you'll have to covert it before burning to DVD. Since I'm all about FREE little web treasures, I'd recommend this free program. There are no watermarks or logos.

Any Video Converter

Friday Funnies #3

Kids that look like their pets.

Remember Nellie Olsen of Little House on The Prairie? Check her comedy out on Youtube.

The Changing Seasons

As I looked out my front door today across the street where the trees are a rain storm of falling leaves, it occurred to me the barrenness of winter is soon to be here. It's almost Thanksgiving with Christmas closely following. I love this time of year but there's a kind of sadness in nature as the beauty of the bright autumn colors fade and fall away.

It is this time of year that I look back over the current year coming to a close and look forward to the holidays and the new year ahead. God has blessed me with a loving husband and happy home and a very sweet daughter who has given me a precious 2-year old grandson and a 4-year old granddaughter to make the holidays alive with joy and laughter. I think its going to be a good winter this year. I have so much to be thankful for. I think I'll invite my daughter over this weekend to make Christmas candy and start getting into the spirit of the holidays.

Neti Pot

I recently suggested a neti pot for a co-worker who was getting over a cold and having a terrible time with his sinuses. He had heard of it but didn't know anything about it. Although, it's growing in popularity, many people don't what a neti pot is.

The Neti pot, used to flush out the nasal cavities with a saline solution, has been shown to be an effective treatment for allergies, aid in sinus drainage, and other nasal conditions.

I personally learned about the neti pot a little over a year ago when I had an ear infection after a cold. The ear, nose and throat doctor told me to take decongestants, like Sudafed, and use a neti pot. He suggested a mixture of disolved sea salt and water and also 1/8 teaspoon of Karo syrup (to keep the salt from drying the nasal passages).

You can purchase a neti pot and prepackaged salt solutions (minus the Karo syrup) at most any pharmacy.

Here is a video to show you how to use the neti pot.

It's The Holidays!

It's the holidays and there's so much to do and so much to see. If you like to do home-made items for gifts or decorations; it's time to get started. Here are a few sites I found helpful for me.

What's Cooking America

There's lots of great Thanksgiving links on this page! Thanksgiving Links

Here's something to keep the kids busy while you are busy! Nick Jr. has a cool website for kids (I like this one too!) Kids Thanksgiving

Holiday games for kids here

Make Christmas Cards, Ornaments and get some good recipes here



Kaboose is an all around good website for the holidays

I found these great glitter graphics on Just Good Tunes.

Microwave Oven - A Great Invention

This is a picture of the first microwave oven. Its creation was a result of the research of Dr. Percy Spencer, an Engineer with the Raytheon Corporation in 1946. The invention of the microwave is actually an interesting story. You can read about it here.

Microwave Safety Tips

1. Don't put metal objects or containers into a microwave oven. It can cause dangerous sparks. This includes aluminum foil, forks, knives, spoons, pans, plates, or bowls or that have any kind of metal-like trim on them.

2. You must have food or liquid in your microwave before you press start or cook. NEVER run your microwave oven when it is empty. There has to be something inside for the microwaves to be directed to or the magnetron tube can be damaged.

3. Don't place whole eggs in your microwave. They can explode and damage your microwave. If you choose to do this, at least know the risk and refer to your owner's manual to see if it voids the manufacturer's warranty. You can find instructions to microwaving whole eggs here.

4. Don't put baby bottles with caps on them in a microwave. Pressure builds inside and they will explode. They can completely destroy your microwave oven. The same goes for any tightly closed container. There needs to be some kind of ventilation or escape.

5. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER put a pet or a baby or any living creature in a microwave!!!! I can't believe this even needs to be said, but unfortunately, it happens.

Always wipe out your microwave after use and keep it clean.

Check out this little cleaning instructional video

How to Lemon Clean Microwave

Not many people use their microwaves for cooking. They use them mostly just for heating food and corn popping.

Here are some suggestions for cooking that maybe you already know but forget to do.

Baking Potatoes (sweet potatoes come out well too)

Cooking ears of corn (unshucked). The shucks and silks are easy to remove after the corn is cooked.

Cooking raw vegetables (best done in a glass dish with lid)

This is a great microwave cooking website. Good Nuke

I found this recipe at Better Recipes

Easy Microwave Fudge

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup butter or margarine
* 3 cups of sugar
* 1 (5 oz.) can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
* 1 (11 oz.) package of flavored chips (chocolate, peanut butter, white chocolate)
* 1 (7 oz.) jar of marshmallow creme
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Method

1. Melt butter/margarine in 4-quart microwaveable bowl on high for 1 minute. 2. Add sugar and milk. Mix well. 3. Microwave for five minutes or until mixture starts to boil, stirring after three minutes, scraping down the sides. 4. Microwave an additional 5-1/2 minutes on high, stirring after three minutes. 5. Add chips, stir until melted. 6. Add marshmallow creme and vanilla. 7. Stir in nuts, if desired. 8. Pour into greased 13X9 inch pan. 9. Cool, then cut into squares.

Friday Funnies #2

SILLY JOKES

A coworker shared these jokes with me on Thursday. Just in time for my Friday post.

The invisible man married an invisible woman and their children weren't much to look at either.

What disease do you get when you kiss a bird? answer: Chirpese -- it's untweeable.

Why can't you play poker in the jungle? answer: too many cheetahs.

why did the belt get arrested? answer: It held up the pants!

Waiting For Godzilla

I am a serious Godzilla fan! If you don't know who Godzilla is (I can't imagine) or if you've never seen a Godzilla movie, you can see quite a few of them for free on Crackle. One of my favorites is Son of Godzilla

I've been waiting for years for "Godzilla 3D To The Max" to be released in IMAX Theaters. Is it going to happen?

It was originally going to be out in 2007; then it was delayed until 2009; Even now, there are different reports on the time of release. Some say 2010, others say 2011. Does anybody even know if it's true? Is it just speculation or maybe just a rumor?

When "Godzilla: Final Wars" was released in 2004, it was to celebrate Godzilla's 50th birthday and to retire the Monster (due to poor ticket sales). Then the 3D talk started, and now I hear there may be a remake of "King Kong vs Godzilla". I'm ready for either one to be released! Here's the trailer for 3D to the Max. Is it for real or is it a "fan made clip"?

Thank God For Our Veterans

I am grateful to and thankful for all who have served and those who are serving. I have lost friends and others have come home. My husband and father and Uncle are veterans. My son-in-law is a veteran of the first Gulf War and my daughter is currently serving. I have friends whose children are serving and I'm very proud of you all.

It is because of those who have fought in wars past and those who serve today that I can write this blog with the freedom to express myself without fear.

"In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved."- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought. Let us have faith that right makes might and in that faith let us; to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it.Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Politician. President of the United States.

Men fight for freedom, then they begin to accumulate laws to take it away from themselves. ~Author Unknown

It is painfully regretful that some have ultimately sacrificed all. Though we are free, our hearts are broken.

Remembering T.J.

You can visit, reporter on the scene, Michael Yon's blog to see his latest report on Iraq and Afghanistan and view his pictures.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com

Everybody Loves Cotton Candy

I recently purchased this cute little cotton candy machine. It's adorable but useless. It slings sugar all over the place and you have to run it for a good 20 minutes to get it hot enough to produce a tablespoon of cotton candy. The company I purchased it from wouldn't take it back because it had been "opened". How do you find out if works, if you don't open it? It was just such a disappointment to my granddaughter and I.


I found an article on how to make cotton candy without a cotton candy machine. I don't know what I'd do without ehow articles.


How to Make Maple Cotton Candy

You can make maple cotton candy in your own home without a cotton candy machine.

Things You'll Need:

* 1 1/3 cup granulated white sugar 2/3 cup granulated maple sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 tsp. light corn syrup Saucepan Wooden spoon to stir Candy thermometer Fork Glass bowl Nonstick cooking spray

1. Step 1 Put sugar, water and corn syrup into the saucepan and turn the burner to medium-low heat.

2. Step 2 Stir constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Raise burner temperature to high.

3. Step 3 Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. Once it reaches 310 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the pot from the heat.

4. Step 4 Let the pot sit for about 15 seconds. Use that time to coat the bowl with nonstick cooking spray.

5. Step 5 Dip the fork into the syrup and drizzle it into the bowl in a circular motion. Repeat until the bowl is full.

6. Step 6 Eat the cotton candy out of the bowl.

Tips & Warnings

* Making cotton candy can be a messy affair, and having sticky floors can attract bugs. Consider cutting up a garbage bag and putting it on the floor before starting, just in case anything spills or splashes.
* Avoid using a plastic spoon or a plastic bowl because plastic can melt at high temperatures.

I Hate Malware!

As I was gathering material for my next post, it happened (I knew I should have installed McAfee Site Advisor!) I got the flashing page with red borders and BIG red letters with exclamation marks saying "YOUR COMPUTER IS INFECTED"! That horrible malware that installs if you click okay and it installs if you click on the x to close. You can't win. So the removal process started.

I am currently running Panda Cloud Anti-virus on my computer. It didn't even blink at it (it will be replaced). Neither did Advanced System Care. Neither did SuperAntispyware. Neither did Spypot Search and Destroy. Avast virus remover didn't find it either. Windows Defender remained idle. In the meantime, I had an open web page that was entitled, "Windows Enterprise Suite - Online Security" with alternating tabs to "myglobalsecurity.com" and "searchglobalsecurity.com". Of course, you have to buy their program to remove it which does not work (from what I've read) I wouldn't buy from a company that maliciously installed something anyway.

I booted up in safe mode and ran the virus scanner and the sypware programs. "Congratulations! No spyware was found on your computer". I rebooted normally and opened Firefox and there it was again. I was very surprised I couldn't find any information on the net about this problem, so I went to another computer and searched for it. There is was! Apparently the malware had disabled my security programs and took control of my web search.

From another computer, I downloaded the free program malwarebytes and put it on a flash drive and installed it on the infected computer from the flash drive. When I ran the program, it found it!! Now my computer is happy and so am I. I got the program with installation and removal instructions from Bleeping Computer

Don't let it happen to you. Install a Site Advisor and pay attention when warned of sites that might attack. I now have McAfee Site Advistor installed (it's free too). AVG also has its own site advisor.