The Sky May Or May Not Be Falling

I think some people are born being a pessimist. The glass is always half empty. Everything in the world is preventing them from finding their way in life and trouble is right around the corner.

I've been there, done that, and got the tee shirt. I work everyday, every single day, to overcome it. I've driven my family crazy worrying about their safety, their happiness, their health. As crazy as I have driven them, I've driven myself even closer to the edge worrying about them, and worrying about things that may or may not happen in my own life.

I saw a funny sign the other day: "Don't tell me worry doesn't work. 98% of the things I worry about never happen.". That has to make you smile. There is humor in truth when you finally see it.

If you turn on your television, or radio, or surf the internet, or go anywhere in public, you hear the talk. The fear that the world as we know it is coming to an end. Maybe it is. Maybe it needs to. Maybe it is supposed to. All I know is that there is someone else in charge of things. He promised us a long time ago that he would take care of us, not forsake us, if we would just have faith.

Matthew 6: 25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

What will happen tomorrow? I don't know. Will it be bad? Maybe. Maybe not. Am I going to worry? Probably. But I'm going to try hard to have faith that one who knows and cares for me is in charge. What happens is for my own good and no matter what, the sun will still rise.

Highlights

Can you find these hidden pictures?

One of the things I loved as a child was Highlights magazine. My mother kept a subscription for awhile and I kept the old copies for years.

Some of my favorite memories are of curling up on the couch with Highlights. I would compare my own drawing skills with the ones of the kids who were lucky enough to get their pictures published, read the poems they wrote and try a few of my own. Goofus and Gallant never failed to teach me that manners always matter.

My favorite had to be the hidden pictures. I loved it because they made it hard enough that it was a challenge. Yes, there is a lot to be said for paper in hand when it comes to learning. But isn't it wonderful that almost anything you want can be found today through the wonders of the internet? I found one of my old favorites to share. Do me a favor, if you ever find those scissors, or that megaphone, let me know.

What I Saw: Fog At Midnight

I could not sleep last night. I have been sick all week with a touch of the flu. My congestion got the best of me and I just could not get comfortable. Pepper decided that she needed to go out around midnight. I walked out onto our porch and into an eerie fog shrouded night. I thought it would be fun to try and capture a few shots while I waited on her. The technical aspects are poor but I just like the feel. The black and white one has a lonesome feel to it.

Beautiful Blogs: Polka Dot Pineapple

Arlette at Polka Dot Pineapple makes the most beautiful pin cushions and other goodies. She sells these at craft shows. She is kind enough to put a tutorial for an adorable pin cushion on her blog. They are so cute and would make nice stocking stuffers for your favorite seamstress.

Picture property of Arlette at Polka Dot Pineapple

Recipe: Crumb Topped Fruit Pie

This pie is so easy . It is great warm or cold, topped with whipped cream or ice cream. You can make it out of any fruit, but my favorite is apple.

For apple pie filling your need:

6 cups of peeled, cored and thinly sliced apples,

1/2/ to 3/4 cup sugar,

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

cinnamon or other preferred spices to taste

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour.

In a large mixing bowl stir all dry ingredients together. Add the fruit and toss till the fruit is coated. Place in pie crust (I just use a deep dish, frozen crust) place a few dollops of butter or margarine ( I only use real butter) here and there on top of the filling. Top with crumb topping.

Crumb topping:

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter

salt to taste

cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.

Combine flour and brown sugar. cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over filling. Cover edge with foil. Bake at 350 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 20-25 minutes more or till top is golden and fruit is tender.

After the pie cools some you can knock it up a notch by drizzling powdered sugar icing over the top. The ingredients are so easy:

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

milk or orange juice, about 2 teaspoons.

Mix the sugar, vanilla and mix in milk or juice 1 teaspoon at a time, adding a little more if necessary, till you get a drizzling consistency.

Drizzle across the pie. Serves 8. I don't know about you, but I'm not going to go to all the work to make 1 pie! I always double the recipe.

My oven is temperamental. I tend to leave the foil on for the full cooking time to prevent the crust from being over browned. This is a great fall dessert

Photo Taking Practice

I took pictures this past week of my daughter's friend and her boyfriend. It was really great practice. I think you'll agree with me when I say, how in the world could I take a bad picture of these two? Look at those faces! They are just too cute! She has the most fabulous blue eyes! I keep plugging away. Focus is always an issue for me. I have a blind spot in one eye from a retina issue so I have a problem seeing clearly through the viewfinder. I need to work on learning to use my settings better and on getting the settings right manually. Overall, I'm fairly happy with the results.

What I Saw: Cove Lake

We took a road trip this weekend to see fall colors. Cove Lake in LaFollette, Tennessee was our first stop.

What I Saw: Our Next Stop: Cumberland Gap, Tn.

This gorgeous house is for sale. I love the colors. A haunted house? Perfect for a Halloween weekend.

What I Saw: Cumberland Gap: Take 2

We bought a delicious milkshake here and sat at these cute tables to drink it. There is a cute antique shop in town. Everything is arranged by colors. Some fall color on the streets.