I said a Mother’s Day prayer for you
to thank the Lord above
for blessing me with a lifetime
of your tenderhearted love.
I thanked God for the caring
you’ve shown me through the years,
for the closeness we’ve enjoyed
in time of laughter and of tears.
And so, I thank you from the heart
for all you’ve done for me
and I bless the Lord for giving me
the best mother there could be!
I Love You Mom, RACHEL
Baby Rachel... Isn't She Adorable... 
Happy one-day-till-the-weekend, and more importantly, Happy Cinco de Mayo . No Cinco de Mayo party is complete without margaritas, salsa and mariachi music .But before you plan for any of those, do you really know the meaning behind Cinco de Mayo?, or do you think it has something to do with Mexican independence, or more reason to eat lots of bright, colourful Mexican food? Continue reading
For those looking for the vacation-of-a-lifetime, The Selous Safari Company offers an unparalleled safari and beach experience in Tanzania. Ras Kutani is a lovely location on the Tanzanian coast, about an hours’ drive from Dar es Salaam.The spot captures the essence of Tanzania natural beauty, while on your way to Ras Kutani you will be able to see Tanzania’s coastal vegetation which is lush and dotted. Amongst it are several small farming villages, where clusters of thatched huts stand under palm and papaya trees. Continue reading
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. It is a season of penance, reflection, and fasting which prepares us for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, through which we attain redemption. Since today is the First day of lent what are you giving up?!
Valentine’s Day is the day of love. But, what about the other days? Seems to me everyday should be the day for expressing how much we love and care for others. I celebrate love everyday with the people I love. I always want to show the people that I love that loving them is not a chore, but something I want to do all the time. Here’s a cute poem about love and I wanted to share it with you…
Here’s to the bright New Year, and a fond farewell to the old, here’s to the things that are yet to come, and to the memories that we hold.~ Mxdthingz..
@Peoplepets .. Our Fantasy Pet Hotel resort name would be “Cowzy for Pawz Resort” .The resort would include
and Lastly .. a place for our Caretakers(Humans) to sleep,eat,socialize and enjoy while vacationing with us.
Mothers are the most priceless blessing God has personally gift wrapped for each one of us. As the saying goes, God cannot be everywhere so he made mothers. No amount of words will ever be enough to thank them for all that they have done for us.
I found this poem and wanted to share it with all of you! Happy Mother’s day to all the beautiful moms out there!
In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo, a few items for your cultural education: Today is, in fact, not Mexican Independence day (it’s a celebration of the Mexican victory in the Battle of Puebla), Cinco de Mayo is not widely celebrated in Mexico (not nearly as much as in the U.S., anyway), and all tacos are not created equal. To celebrate you Cinco de Mayo, here is ~ The Best Cinco de Mayo Steak Tacos Recipe (from Mexico)
Ingredients
3 1/2 pounds skirt steak, cut against the grain into strips (a little smaller than your little finger)
20 flour tortillas (4 inch)
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large head Napa cabbage (also called Chinese), cleaned, cut into thin strips, and tossed with the juice of 2 limes
For spice mix:
2 tsp chipotle chile powder
2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp cumin
3 tsp kosher or coarse salt
For salsa:
1 jalapeño pepper
1 red onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 plum tomatoes
2 oz canola oil
1 tsp kosher or coarse salt
1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
3 fresh limes, juiced
For guacamole:
6 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pits removed, flesh scooped out and placed in large bowl with the juice of 4 limes
4 plum tomatoes, small diced (about 2 cups)
1 red onion, minced, about 1 cup
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tsp kosher or coarse salt
For lime crema:
2 cups sour cream
2 fresh limes
Tip: The salsa, crema, and guacamole can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead of time, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. When wrapping the guacamole, place a layer of plastic film directly on the surface (and/or keep avocado pits in the bowl) to avoid discoloration from oxidation.
Instructions
To make tacos: Combine spice-mixture ingredients and toss with steak to coat. Set aside. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Warm tortillas on cookie sheet in oven. Heat two large sauté pans to medium-high. When pans are hot, add oil to each pan followed by 1/2 the seasoned meat. Spread meat out evenly and cook without turning while you lay out warm tortillas on a clean work area to get ready for assembly. Cook meat for approximately 3 minutes, turn, and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to achieve even coloring. After 3 minutes, turn off heat and allow meat to sit in the pan, becoming just cool enough for you to handle.
To make salsa: Rub jalapeño, onion, and tomatoes lightly with oil and roast in large sauté pan on medium-high, turning frequently until lightly charred all over. Set aside to cool. When cooled, roughly chop and place in a food processor with salt, pulsing until almost smooth but still just a little chunky. Transfer to bowl, add cilantro and lime juice, cover, and refrigerate. (For a milder salsa, use only half the jalapeño.)
To make guacamole: Lightly crush avocados with fork until almost smooth but still a little chunky. Evenly mix in tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, and salt; cover and refrigerate.
Tip: To halve an avocado, insert the tip of a knife along the side until you hit the pit. Cut around the avocado lengthwise, slicing all the way around. Then twist the two halves in opposite directions and the avocado will open perfectly. Scoop out the pit and the flesh with a spoon.
To make lime crema: Whisk 2 cups sour cream together with the juice of 2 fresh limes.
To serve: Spread 1/2 tbsp guacamole on each warmed tortilla, followed by a large pinch of cabbage. Distribute meat evenly and fold tortillas up end to end. Serve immediately on a large platter with the salsa, crema, guacamole, and a bag of your favorite tortilla chips.
Recipe from Kerry Simon~chef and owner of Simon Kitchen & Bar in Las Vegas and Simon LA in Los Angeles.
Today March 8th, is International Women’s Day (IWD). It is a major day of global celebration of women.This day is meant to appreciate those who have the biggest influence in our lives. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women’s economic, political and social achievements. Below are some of the women who have influenced us in one way or another. Happy International Women’s Day!!
People all around the world gathered in groups large and small seven days ago(Wow, I cant believe it has been a week since we welcomed the new year) to usher out the previous year, and welcome the arrival of 2010. Under a rare New Year’s Eve Blue Moon, crowds watched fireworks, cheered, made resolutions, and counted down to midnight. 2010 is the year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac, signifying a year of bravery and courage. Collected here are some photographs of people across the earth as they welcomed the new year in many different ways.
Fireworks from the Space Needle light up downtown Seattle, Washington to bring in the new year, as seen from Kerry Park, Friday, Jan. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Cliff DesPeaux)
Fireworks explode near Malaysia’s landmark Patronas Twin Towers during the New Year 2010 celebrations in Kuala Lumpur on January 1, 2010. (SAEED KHAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Fireworks light up the skies of downtown Beirut to make New Year’s Day on January 1, 2010. (ANWAR AMRO/AFP/Getty Images
People with their faces painted “2010″ pose during the New Year celebrations in the central Indian city of Bhopal January 1, 2010. (REUTERS/Raj Patidar)
Pakistani youth celebrate New Year’s Eve in Lahore, spraying artificial snow in the air on December 31, 2009. (Arif Ali/AFP/Getty Images)
A couple kisses on New Year’s eve in the center of Brussels, Belgium on December 31, 2009. This year, the theme of the celebration was the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. (KURT DESPLENTER/AFP/Getty Images)
New Year’s Eve crowds line Westminster Bridge before a firework display on December 31, 2009 in England. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
Two women toast as fireworks explode during an outside party in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district to celebrate the New Year on January 1, 2010. (TIMUR EMEK/AFP/Getty Images)
People watch New Year’s Eve fireworks over Venice’s St. Mark square flooded by high water, early Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini)
Fireworks explode over the Quadriga sculpture on the Brandenburg Gate in celebration of the new year on January 1, 2010 in Berlin, Germany. Thousands of revelers descended on the area in front of the Brandenburg Gate to celebrate. (Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
Russians celebrate the New Year on Red Square in Moscow, with the Kremlin in the background, right, and St. Basil’s cathedral in background, left, Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. Tens of thousands of people gathered on the Square to celebrate the new year, and view the fireworks as the clock on the Kremlin’s Spassky Tower, right, struck midnight. (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
Revellers dressed up as San Fermin Festival bull runners celebrate the New Year in Coin, near the southern Spanish town of Malaga, early January 1, 2010. (REUTERS/Jon Nazca)
400 spotlights illuminate the Eiffel Tower during the New Year’s Eve in Paris, France on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/ Michel Euler)
Fireworks explode above downtown Jakarta’s Welcome Monument, in Indonesia, early on Friday, January 1, 2010.(AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
About two millions people observe fireworks from Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to celebrate the beginning of New Year’s Day early in January 1, 2010. (GABRIEL LOPES/AFP/Getty Images)
Fireworks explode over the statue of President George Washington in the Boston Public Gardens in Massachusetts on Thursday December 31, 2009. (Matthew J. Lee/Boston Globe staff)
A couple kiss during New Year celebrations in New York’s Times Square January 1, 2010. (REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi)
“Sushi,” portrayed by female impersonator Gary Marion, dangles high above New Year’s Eve revelers in a giant reproduction of a woman’s high heel at the Bourbon Street Pub late Thursday, December 31, 2009 in Key West, Florida. The Red Shoe Drop has become a Key West tradition to herald the arrival of the new year, answering New York’s Times Square ball drop. (ANDY NEWMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Fireworks light the sky in front of Mayon Volcano during New Year’s celebrations in Legazpi city, Albay province, south of Manila January 1, 2010. Mayon Volcano, known for its near-perfect cone shape in the coconut-growing central Bicol region, has been spewing ash and burning mud and rocks for more than two weeks. (REUTERS/Romeo Ranoco)
A monk stands in front of a fire, burning old items which have been used in temples and shrines, during a New Year’s Eve ceremony at the Zojo-ji Buddhist temple in Tokyo December 31, 2009. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon)
A long-exposure photo created using sparklers shows children writing out “2010″, celebrating on New Year’s eve in Manila on December 31, 2009. (ROMEO GACAD/AFP/Getty Images)
A sanitation worker cleans up garbage from the New Year’s Eve celebration in New York Times Square in the early hours of New Year’s Day Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)
People admire the moment the sun rises above Mount Fuji, which is known locally as the “Diamond Fuji”, from atop Ryugatake mountain in Fujikawaguchiko town, southwest of Tokyo on New Year’s Day January 1, 2010. Mount Fuji, at 3,776 metres (12,388 ft), is believed to be sacred and is seen as a symbol of good luck, more so during the New Year period. (REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao)
A New Year’s reveller runs in for a dip in the icy sea during the Saundersfoot annual charity swim on January 1, 2010 in Saundersfoot near Tenby, Wales. Hundreds of brave swimmers ran in to to the sea to welcome in 2010 and raise cash for charity. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
A rescue diver watches as a man leaps from a bridge into the River Dove during a traditional New Year’s Day annual charity event in Mappleton, central England, January 1, 2010. Teams paddle down a half-mile stretch of the river and then jump off a bridge into the River Dove, one of the coldest rivers in the United Kingdom. Contestants then have to run 500 yards to a pub. (REUTERS/Darren Staples)
Fireworks explode beside the London Eye and The Houses of Parliament on the River Thames during New Year celebrations in London January 1, 2010. (REUTERS/Toby Melville)
Workers throw water on people to celebrate the end of the year in Montevideo, Uruguay on December 31, 2009. During the last working day of the year, workers traditionally throw water on people and discard old calendars. (REUTERS/Andres Stapff)
St. Sylvester mummers (Silvesterklausen) perform in the village of Urnaesch in the region of Appenzell, December 31 2009. Three very different groups of mummers distinguished as the beautiful (Schoene), the ugly (Wueschte) and the less ugly (Schoe-Wueschte) dressed up in costumes made of twigs, cones, mosses and dried leaves proceed from house to house in small groups singing and ringing their bells wishing families a prosperous year. (REUTERS/Miro Kuzmanovic)
People prepare for carbide-shooting, a tradition on the last day of the year to scare off evil spirits, in Zevenhuizen in the Netherlands on December 31, 2009. (VINCENT JANNINK/AFP/Getty Images)
In this photo taken Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, residents prepare to release a wishing lantern to usher in the new year in Chengdu in southwestern China’s Sichuan province. (AP Photo)
New Year’s Eve fireworks based on the theme “Awaken the Spirit” explode over the Sydney Harbour from six barges three hours before midnight on December 31, 2009. Over 1.5 million Sydneysiders and tourists were expected to line the harbour foreshores to watch 120,000 pyrotechnics usher in New Year’s Day. (KRYSTLE WRIGHT/AFP/Getty Images)
Malabon Zoo owner Manny Tangco blows a horn with children outside a Bengal tiger glass enclosure as they celebrate the coming Year of the Tiger in Manila December 31, 2009. (REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo)
People sprint into the water as they participate in the traditional New Years Dive in The North Sea, in the Hague, on January 1, 2010. This year saw some 8000 participants in the dive, one of 63 dives across the Netherlands. (ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images)
Winter swimmers of the “Berlin Seals” association (“Berliner Seehunde”) take the traditional new year swim in water at a temperature of at one degree celcius in the Orankesee Lake on January 1, 2010 in Berlin. (MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images)
Japanese young girls pray at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo, Japan, on New Year’s Day Friday, Jan. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi)
Like birds, let us, leave behind what we don’t need to carry…GRUDGES, SADNESS, PAIN, FEAR, and REGRETS. May The Year 2010 Bring You Healthy Life,Happiness,Success and be filled with Peace,Hope & Togetherness of your Family & Friends….Wishing You a ***HAPPY NEW YEAR***
New Year’s Eve celebration happens to be the biggest common party across the globe when all nations and religions forget all the differences and come together to welcome the New Year. New Year’s Eve is one such occasion when everyone in everyplace around the world manages to recognize the New Year with some sort of celebration. As we are slowly approaching to the end of 2009, once again there is a restlessness in preparing the planner for the occasion.Here is a compilation of my top few popular destinations where you can celebrate the momentus occasion in the best possible way.Happy New Year to each and everyone of you.
Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration held in the United States honoring universal African heritage and culture, marked by participants lighting a kinara (candle holder) It is observed from December 26 to January 1 each year, primarily in the United States. Kwanzaa is a Swahili word that means “first”.
Picture Credits to SoulCity Graphics
Kwanzaa celebrates what its founder called the seven principles of Kwanzaa, or Nguzo Saba. Each of the seven days of Kwanzaa is dedicated to one of the following principles, as follows:
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FROM —NORAD Tracks Santa and DOT
I am pleased to report that, just moments ago, FAA chief Randy Babbitt cleared Santa Claus for his traditional round-the-world holiday mission.The public is invited to follow Santa’s progress on Christmas Eve at www.noradsanta.org via NORAD’s famous SantaCams.
During the North Pole International Airport (NPIA) 90-minute check flight, Santa demonstrated precision execution of the pinpoint rooftop landing and takeoff maneuvers his extensive delivery manifest and single-night constraint require.
Babbitt also pronounced the sleigh’s onboard equipment to be in tip-top operating condition, including the following systems:
* Deicing
* Reindeer propulsion
* Navigation
* Grinch/Heat-Miser avoidance system
Critically, Babbitt also verified Santa’s crew manifest to ensure enough elves would be available to relieve Santa for proper pilot rest periods.
New this year, Santa and the North Pole elves have instituted several energy-saving measures.….READ MORE HERE>>>>>>>
So do you or does anyone you know go crazy with Christmas lights?When it comes to holiday lights,Iam a wimp!I’m obsessed with holiday lights.This weekend, we (my husband,me and our puppy Coco) went for a Christmas lights display in one of the homes in Woodinville Town, right outside Seattle.
“Woodinville Wonderland” is the Christmas lights displays worth going out of your way to see. The house belongs to Mark Zembruski.There are 74,678 Christmas lights on and around his house and still ponders whether his dolphin display “could use another string of lights.Woodnville Wonderland has become one of the area’s top Christmas attractions. A tradition like taking your kids to sit on Santa’s lap at the mall. Or watching the burning Yule Log on public television.
The number of displays with flashing lights coordinated to local radio broadcasts(101.9 FM) have drew a lot of crowd in this neighborhood, particularly in this house.For the last six years, lines of SUVs, minivans and sedans have pulled up along the side of the street.From dogs,kids to adults this place was busy and looked like people were pulling up each second to enjoy the show.Couples with hot chocolate in hand and eyes glued to a Disney-like world the owner(Zembruski) has created: two 20-minute choreographed light shows featuring all those lights, dancing on cue to Christmas classics and the Coke commercial song. About eight miles of extension cords and light strings.
What do you get to see?
• Santa atop the chimney on a Harley made out of wire frame wrapped with lights.
• Giant cedar trunks tied in candy-cane red and white lights.
• A 7,270-light Christmas tree, glowing in red, white, blue and green.
• A 7 ½-foot Bethlehem-style star on top of the two-story house.
• Snowflake-shaped lights that fade to look like it’s snowing down on the house.
• A candy-cane lane.
• A lit peacock.
• A front yard filled with Frosty, angels, reindeers and trains.
• A yard blanketed with fading blue lights to mimic water moving downstream
-My most favorite display: is an interior projector beaming Santa onto a white screen covering a window of the house. From the outside, it appears as if Santa is working in front of the window and saying “ho, ho, ho” to the crowd.Toddlers believe Santa is waving at them. They gawk until their parents pull them away
The House is located at :
23620 NE 183rd St – Woodinville, WA 98077
Show Hours: Sun-Thurs 5-10:30pm / Fri-Sat 5-11:30pm
Video Below-Credits To The Seattle Times
Woodinville Wonderland
New York(WPIX)-Forget the candy cane carousels; a new kind of window display has jaws dropping down Fifth Avenue.
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Female clothing line XOXO located at Fifth Avenue and 38th Street is drawing crowds this holiday season, thanks to its new, “live” window display.
Creative director and designer Carol Powley, calls her living mannequins “window theater.” Some are questioning who the display is meant to attract, considering XOXO only sells women’s clothes. But, Powley says the display is geared toward gift-buying boyfriends.
The encasement depicts a young woman’s apartment, where two attractive models try on clothes, flip through magazines and paint each other’s nails. After dark, they change into evening wear, and spend hours primping and polishing for a night out on the town. Did we mention this is all in front of gawking crowds?
The display — which plays out more like a peep show — has drawn hundreds of men. It’s no surprise that changing time — when the models strip down to their undies — draws the biggest crowd. Police were called to the scene Friday, thanks to a female pedestrian who drew an unfavorable reaction.
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