And so this is the day after Christmas....

...and according to halife.com, it's the observance of a couple of what my former radio co-host Darren Marlar used to call "Weird Holidays":

• Today is National Whiners' Day, a day dedicated to people who return Christmas gifts.

• Today is National Thank You Note Day. Go ahead, do it today before you forget

I actually didn't get a single gift that I'm going to have to return! And there are definitely some Thank You notes I'll be writing.

I don't feel like "the holidays" are quite over until after New Year's Day, so I'm still basking in a sort of holiday glow.

We're still in Normal, Illinois until later today. We came here to celebrate Christmas with my daughter Elizabeth, whose retail job required her to work both Christmas Eve and the day after Christmas.

So we just brought Christmas to her, and it has been wonderful!

How about you? Any "day after Christmas" plans? Well, I've got gift cards from Bath and Body Works and Macy's burning a hole in my pocket, so hasta luego! :)

Taking a blogging break--but first, my Thanksgiving Day forecast!

I'm going to be taking several days off from blogging to spend time with family during the Thanksgiving holidays.

In the meantime, I pray a wonderful Thanksgiving for everyone who reads my humble little blog!

One tradition I've continued through my years of blogging has been my humorous Thanksgiving forecast.

No, it's not original to me--it's something I picked up in radio, and who knows who originally came up with it, but it's pretty cute!

This year I decided to do it audio style. It's only a little over a minute long, but if you'd like a grin, give it a listen!

Check this out on Chirbit

A Fun Fourth: The Swanson Family Celebration

Stars and Stripes Pie Recipe!

"But Cindy," you say, "you don't make pie!"

No, I don't...not the ones with home-made pie crust. I leave that to my awesome daughter-in-law!

But I came across this pie, and thought it was so beautiful, I decided to post it for those of you who ARE pie-makers.

Oh, and--HAPPY 4th OF JULY!

Here's the recipe, from Woman's Day:

Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Recipe Ingredients

1 box (15 oz) refrigerated ready-to-use pie crusts
3 cans (21 oz each) cherry pie filling
1 can (21 oz) blueberry pie filling
1 large egg, slightly beaten in a cup
3 Tbsp sanding or coarse (crystal) sugar
You also need: 11/2- to 2-in. star-shaped cookie cutter
Recipe Preparation

1. On lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin, roll 1 pastry round into a 12-in. circle. Fit into a 9-in. pie plate, letting edges overhang. Drain 1 can cherry pie filling, combine in a bowl with remaining 2 cans cherry pie filling.


2. Bend a clean 6-in. square of cardboard in middle forming a wedge. Place in upper left corner of pie (like hands of a clock pointing to 9 and 12). Fill with blueberry pie filling. Spoon cherry pie filling into rest of pie. Lift out cardboard.


3. Roll other pastry round into a 10-in. circle. With a pastry wheel or sharp knife, cut round in five 1/2-in.-wide strips. With cookie cutter, cut 5 or 6 stars from rest of pastry. Brush strips and stars with beaten egg;sprinkle with sanding sugar.


4. Heat oven to 425°F. Starting in middle of pie, carefully place 3 longstrips, evenly spaced, across filling toward bottom edge. Cut remaining 2 strips into 4-in.-long pieces. Lay over cherry filling on upper right corner.Press ends of strips into edge of crust. Roll overhang of bottom crust up overends of strips to form an even rim. Flute or crimp rim. Brush rim with beaten egg; sprinkle with sugar. Place stars on upper left corner of pie.


5. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F; bake 25 to 30 minutes longeruntil pastry is golden brown and filling bubbles. Place on wire rack and cool completely.

• Nutrition Facts
• Yield 10 servings
• Servings 10
• Amount Per Serving
• Calories 467
• Total Fat 11g
• Saturated Fat 5g
• Cholesterol 29mg
• Sodium 220mg
• Total Carbohydrates 89g
• Dietary Fiber 2g
• Protein 1g

Memorial Day

You never lived to see
What you gave to me
One shining dream of hope and love
Life and liberty

With a host of brave unknown Soldiers
For your company, you will live forever
Here in our memory--Frank Musker, "Band of Brothers" theme (Requiem for a Soldier)

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example. ~Benjamin Disraeli

They fell, but o'er their glorious grave
Floats free the banner of the cause they died to save.
~Francis Marion Crawford

Cover them over with beautiful flowers,
Deck them with garlands, those brothers of ours,
Lying so silent by night and by day
Sleeping the years of their manhood away.
Give them the meed they have won in the past;
Give them the honors their future forcast;
Give them the chaplets they won in the strife;
Give them the laurels they lost with their life.
~Will Carleton