Merry Christmas - The Needed Power of Faith

Faith is the bird that feels the light and

sings when the dawn is still dark

FAITH

The greatest gift we can give or are willing to receive is Faith.

Faith holds the secret key to the universe.

Think of all the things we treasure but cannot see: Those untouchable, intangible valuables that matter most and ultimately hold the power of good to shape our world.

Love - We feel it, we know it's real but we cannot touch it, bottle it, sell it, or earn money from it. It's the biggest, richest gift anyone can receive and it comes straight from faith in ourselves that it exists.

Compassion - We all matter. Every single soul on earth matters. No one is greater than another and the gift of compassion shows we have faith in and believe in this untouchable energy.

Hope - Without hope, we cannot have faith. Even though hope in our hearts is not visible to those who walk by us, our body language, our energy and our demeanor have the power to pass along the gift of hope. All of it, unseen, yet felt. One life touches another every single day.

Like butter and eggs, the years blend together. Before we know it we've lived through over 50 or more Christmases. No matter the number we've had, each one blends into the other and over-time, our traditions shape us and our family.

Our children and extended family are the carriers of our roots, and passing along even the smallest sense of tradition in today's crazy-busy world has more value than decades ago.

This year, let us pass along the greatest gift, especially to our children ... the priceless Gift of Faith.

Enjoy this beautiful song by Tim McGraw, Humble & Kind - Song Review can be found here, and most of all....

Merry Christmas xxoo

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Buttery Pasta and Shrimp Recipe Review

Our Favorite Seafood Meal

Having lived in coastal communities a number of times over the years, from the California Central Coast to the Gulf Coast of Florida to (today) Coastal Georgia, seafood dishes are popular favorites in our household. 

While living on the California Central Coast in 1980, I came across a shrimp recipe put out in a little cookbook leaflet by Land O Lakes, using real butter (yum) in the recipes. This shrimp/pasta buttery combination has become a standard for company dinners and has also become a family favorite for Christmas Eve dinner every year.

Ingredients

Ingredients, prepped and ready

• 3 cups cooked spaghetti, (7 oz. Uncooked)
• 1/4 cup Sweet Cream Butter
•  1 cup chopped green pepper, (1 medium)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 (12 oz.) packages frozen cocktail shrimp (or fresh shrimp as noted below)
• 1-1/2 tsp. Garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Oregano leaves
• 1/4 tsp. Pepper
• 2 cups cubed fresh tomatoes
• Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese 

*Cooks' Note: 

The recipe calls for frozen cocktail size shrimp, which is fine, but living near the coast where fresh seafood is available I naturally substitute fresh shrimp for the cocktail shrimp.

I take about one pound of medium shrimp, peeled & deveined, cut them in half most times, and sauté them separately in a bit of butter & garlic before adding them to the pot of vegetables simmering in the butter & seasonings. I've also added fresh sliced mushrooms to the original vegetables of chopped onions and green pepper in the recipe. As you can see, your own preferences are easy to substitute in this dish.

Instructions

Angel Hair Pasta - Cooked

• Cook spaghetti; set aside.  I used angel hair pasta in this recipe, but you can use any pasta that you desire.

Sautéing the vegetables in real butter

• In a 3 qt. Saucepan melt butter over medium heat (5-7 minutes).

• Add remaining ingredients, except tomatoes and spaghetti. Stir to blend.

• Cook over medium heat (5-7 minutes).
• Add cooked spaghetti; stir to blend.
• Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring occasionally until spaghetti is heated through (3-5 minutes).
• Remove from heat; add chopped tomatoes. Cover; let stand 1 minute or until tomatoes are heated through.
• To serve, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Pasta dish with garlic toast & coleslaw

Serve this buttery pasta and shrimp dish with slices of garlic bread or Texas Toast, and either a salad or coleslaw, and you have a very delicious and satisfying meal anytime you crave shrimp & pasta.

Land O' Lakes Chicken and Seafood Cookbook

Land O Lakes Chicken & Seafood Cookbook

The buttery pasta with shrimp recipe featured in this review can also be found in this cookbook of recipes for chicken and seafood made using real butter. I've used my copy for years!





This 44-page booklet from 1980 has recipes for both chicken and a variety of seafood, all using delicious butter.

Shrimp Lovers Recipes

 

Forrest Gump knows ways to eat shrimp - shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, shrimp cocktail...

Looking for more shrimp recipes, you'll find them here! 

Over 75 Shrimp Recipes from Forrest Gump

 


For other delicious recipes, shrimp and otherwise, check out ReviewThisReviews Recipes for a variety of yummy dishes from our contributors.




+Images are personal photographs by (c) Wednesday Elf

(c) Wednesday Elf. Article originally written in October 2013 on another site.

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Holiday Inn Movie Review

I simply cannot go through the holiday season without watching the movie Holiday Inn starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.  Not only is the movie fabulous because of the actors, it also features a huge repertoire of Irving Berlin music.  In fact, Berlin actually wrote several new songs just for the movie.

One song we all know and love is "White Christmas".  Because there is an actual movie named White Christmas (1954) that also features the Irving Berlin song, many people assume the song was written for that movie.  It was not.  The song, White Christmas sung by Bing Crosby, was first performed in Dec. 1941.  A few months later it was recorded and sold as part of the musical soundtrack for the movie Holiday Inn.

In my opinion, Holiday Inn is a better movie than White Christmas.  It is a real shame that so many people associate the song with the movie that bears the same title.  Sadly, they often miss the best!

The Plot of the Movie Holiday Inn

Fred Astaire, or should I say Ted Hanover, is a famous dancer who is part of a 3 person act.  Bing Crosby plays the part of Jim Hardy, a sensational crooner who is tired of show business.  He is engaged to Lila, the third person in the act.  Together they plan to leave the stage and "retire" to a life of leisure on a farm in Connecticut.  But, Ted has other schemes. 
 
 Holiday Inn (Special Edition)
Buy on DVD or Blu-rayTed loves show business and he likes his dance partner, Lila.  He is certainly not ready to lose her, so he tells her that he loves her and wants her to stay with him.  Lila chooses Ted and show business over Jim and the farm.  That is pretty heart-breaking for Jim, but at least he has his future at his farm ahead of him. 

After nearly a year of isolation and working the farm, Jim finds it is not what he expected.   He dreams up an alternative that includes his beloved farm, but also allows him to take the stage again to preform.  By turning his farm into Holiday Inn, he can write his music and host shows on holidays only, which would be 15 shows per year.  He visits Ted to pitch his plans in hopes that Ted will join him.  Even though Ted is not interested in working at Holiday Inn, their manager does send Linda Mason to Connecticut to work when she recognizes him and asks for his help.

Linda proves to be the perfect song and dance partner for Jim and they officially open Holiday Inn for the first show on New Year's Eve.  

Back in New York City, Lila has left Ted for a millionaire and Ted rushes to the Holiday Inn to commiserate with his friend, Jim.  When Ted dances with Linda, he "knows" he has found his new dance partner.  Jim fears history will repeat itself and that Linda will leave him for Ted and show business.

Conclusion

This romantic movie is pure entertainment!  The dancing is fabulous, the music is outstanding, and of course, Bing Crosby is sensational.  He truly was a gifted singer and actor.
 
By the way, you won't have any trouble recognizing the importance of the song "White Christmas" to Jim and Linda in the movie.

The song, "White Christmas" sung by Bing Crosby is the top selling single of all time.  You may find it interesting to know that the current day Holiday Inn hotels were inspired to name their hotel chain by this movie.   

Note:  The movie cover art has been colorized, but the movie is black & white. 

 Holiday Inn (Special Edition)
Buy on DVD or Blu-ray Holiday Inn
Rent the Movie on Amazon

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Check Out More Movie Reviews at ReviewThisMovies.com

Holiday Inn Movie Review Written by:

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Rubber Ducky Tea Infuser Review

If you're after a bit of fun with your cup of tea then you will love to read my rubber ducky tea infuser review.  I absolutely love this fun tea infuser, because let's face it what's not to love about a rubber ducky?

I received this cute rubber duck tea infuser for Christmas from my daughter a couple of years ago.   I'd said I wanted a fun tea infuser and she wanted to know what I meant by that so I mentioned a rubber ducky one as an example.   My mum was Christmas shopping with her and told me (after the event) that she was searching high and low for it ignoring other fun tea infusers like the sloth tea infuser or the geeky space capsule tea infuser for examples.

Aside from looking cute floating in a mug of tea instead of someone's bath this rubber ducky hides a mesh tea infuser underneath which you simply add the loose tea to, attach the rubber duck and let it float around dispensing flavor to your hot water.

Tea Ducky Tea Infuser - A Fun Way to Enjoy Tea!

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Personally I only use my rubber ducky tea infuser for making my own peppermint tea.   I simply pick fresh mint leaves, pop them in the mesh and leave it to brew for about 5 minutes before enjoying a lovely tasting aid to digestion.   The peppermint tea really sets me up for the afternoon as it not only tastes nice, but stops indigestion and also helps to keep me refreshed and invigorated, but back to the tea infuser.

This fun tea infuser comes with a blue stand which looks rather like an egg cup, with a wavy 'top' and lets you simply lift rubber ducky out of your cup and into the stand when you want to drink.   Once washed and in the cupboard it lets you sit the tea infuser neatly until use.

If you're a loose tea drinker, or you just want to try some of your own herbal infusions then I recommend this rubber ducky tea infuser as I dare you not to smile when you see it's cute face!

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Thoughtful Last Minute Hostess Gifts for Gardeners

Christmas is Just Around the Corner.  

Let's review some lovely Hostess gifts for your friends who love to garden.  

If you are anything like me, even though we've had fair warning, Christmas seems to have been sprung upon us in very short order.  Along with Christmas coming so quickly, invitations to visit with family and friends have also been coming in quicker than the squirrels can empty the bird feeders.

What can you do when you really know you'd love to visit, but refuse to come empty-handed?  The first thing is Don't Panic. Let this list help you figure out the best and nicest hostess gift to bring to your friends on your upcoming visit.

Gardeners by their very nature love Plants!

Everyone loves flowers, but gardeners love things that grow!  So a really nice idea would be to bring a potted plant to your host or hostess.  At Christmas time you will find lovely bulb sets that will surely be enjoyed by your gardening friends.  Amaryllis and Paperwhites are typically sold around this time of year as Christmas gifts, but they also make lovely and thoughtful Hostess Gifts.  Most of these are sold with a pot, all the planting media and the bulb which may already show signs of growth. All it needs is a lovely gift bag and a bow!  

Amaryllis will grow for years after the initial gift has had its day and bloomed.  Gardeners will take care of the bulb so that it will bloom for them again and again in years to come. It will remind them of you and your thoughtfulness.

This plant will give your gardening friends something really beautiful to look forward to.  These blossoms are just out of this world beautiful.  I can't think of a single person whether they are gardeners or not, that wouldn't marvel at this beauty.  

Can we spice it up a bit?

Along with things that grow, you will find many herbs available at this time of year as well.  Rosemary makes a lovely scented gift that your gardener friends can use to make the kitchen smell really nice and they can use the herbs for cooking as well.  Just add a nice little pot and you have a lovely gift. Gardeners can get creative with the rosemary, as it prunes really nice and can be trained into shapes that are really quite interesting. Something to keep your gardening friends happy during the cold months of the year. 

How about something More Christmassy?

Typically available at this time of year are Christmas Cactus.  Not at all prickly, they are usually covered in either white, pink or red flowers at the end of their scapes.  A very pretty and easy to grow plant that any gardener would enjoy wholeheartedly.  Give them some light and water and they will happily bloom for a few weeks or more.  These will also continue to grow throughout the year and rebloom the following year again on new growth.  Each year these plants become more beautiful and larger in size. They are easily contained though if space is at a premium.  

Remember that Plants are Living and Cold will Affect Them.

Just one word of caution, if you are bringing plants as a Hostess Gift, and you live where winter is cold, please take care to wrap your gift well so that it doesn't freeze or suffer from getting cold.  Preheat your vehicle and wrap the plant with two layers of plastic and tie or secure it shut so that the cold air doesn't touch the plant and all will be well.

My friends already have too many plants, don't you have any other suggestions?

If you don't want to bring a plant and would prefer another gift that is not subject to the weather, let me let you in on some little gift ideas that every gardener I know would appreciate. 

Every gardener I know never ever has enough pairs of gardening gloves.  I have at least 4 pairs on the go at any one time.  So a pair of gardening gloves and a few packets of seeds done up in a little package will bring smiles of gratitude from your Host or Hostess.  

A nice hand cream is also something that we can never have enough of either.  Hands even when protected by gloves, can become rather dry.  A lovely scented hand cream would be nice and not too expensive.  

Another handy gift would be a thermal mug or cup for coffee, tea or water.  Sipping while you work in the garden is a luxury and much needed in the summer months.  Not having to stop what you are doing to get that sip of water is even better.

Gardeners love a great apron.  One with pockets in them to hold the seed packets, clippers or gloves when they stop for a minute.  It also helps to keep them just a little cleaner while they are working away in their little paradise.  

Do you need more suggestions?

There are many more gifts for the Gardener Friends on your list. Just for your enjoyment and for their pleasure I am including another list of  Host/Hostess gifts that would be sure to please. So here goes:

1. Garden Stakes or Markers
2. A Small Watering Can
3. Books or a Magazine subscription, Farmer's Almanac
4. Funny Garden inspired T-shirts
5. Bonsai Gift Set (available at Amazon)
6. Garden inspired Coffee Mug
7. Kangaroo Garden Bag (a collapsible compost bag, also available at Amazon)
8. Gardener's Journal
9. Windchimes or Suncatchers
10. Willowtree (tm) Figurine "Angel of the Garden"

All of these suggestions are under $25.00, and I know from personal experience that Gardeners who love to entertain, would enjoy any of these suggestions.

Let the Friend who invites you over the holidays know how much you appreciate his/ her efforts in the garden and I'm sure you will see the biggest "Thank You" smile for miles around.

Appreciation of family and friends never gets old and at Christmas time or over the holidays even more so.  

May your Holidays be filled with good friends, and family!  May there always be smiles and lots of laughter!  Happy Holidays.

You can read more about Gardening or Gardening Gifts on Review This or follow the links below!

Grammie O's Favorite Things
Outstanding Spring Gardens are Planned out in the Fall

Pictures on this Review This Post all come from Pixabay in the order that they appear here!

https://pixabay.com/en/invitation-invite-blue-design-941497/

https://pixabay.com/en/amaryllis-flower-blossom-bloom-red-1860710/

https://pixabay.com/en/rosemary-herbs-green-fresh-1347087/

https://pixabay.com/en/christmas-cactus-flower-nature-619650/

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN), Esty (Awin), and/or Zazzle Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”

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