A Perfect Thanksgiving

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Some of my best memories about Christmas and Thanksgiving, are the ones I spent with my whole family, while growing up.  My dad and grandparents have passed away, since those childhood days, but we still carry them in our heart and remember all the laughter and wonderful times at our family gatherings. The tradition still continues on today, only I am the one cooking the Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and having everyone over for the holidays.

I spend the morning getting the table set up with my fine china and silverware, cooking the turkey, dressing and green bean casserole and then my mom comes in with the potatoes to mash and the potato water that I add to help give my gravy just the right flavor. My daughters soon join us with their husbands and our precious little grandchildren. My son and his girlfriend and my brothers and sister-in-law’s all come in with their yummy food contributions (salad, sweet potatoes, veggie plate, dinner rolls, etc.). We finish up with the cooking and all join around the table for a wonderful meal of talking, laughing and reminiscing.

After dinner (if it is cold enough), we light a fire in the fireplace. The women folk clean up the dishes and visit, while the men folk go go into the living room or family room to watch a movie or catch a football game or a snooze. After clean-up, we all enjoy some coffee or tea as we eat our favorite pie (pecan, pumpkin, apple & blueberry). The little ones run around through the house with sounds of laughter, dreaming up wild inventions and figuring out ways of building rocket ships to the moon. They are too busy to stop for dessert.

My Thanksgiving with my family is my idea of a perfect day and it starts all over the same way on Christmas day.  I hope you will be able to create those same memories for you and your family as you enjoy your perfect day.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL  —  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Cleaning Your Fireplace Screens

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Most fireplace screens are made with mesh, as the Grand Metal Fireplace screen, found on our greatfiresides.com website..  The mesh allows the flame to be seen and the warmth to be felt, while it also helps protect your home from ashes and fly away embers.

Your screen is very easy to clean.
1.  Take a damp cloth and gently wipe it down.
(You may want to wipe off the excess soot, before you touch it with a damp
cloth.  Make sure your screen is not too hot to touch)
2.  Rinse your cloth in some warm soapy water and wipe it down a second time.
3.  After you have got most of the soot off, wipe it down one last time with a damp
non-soapy cloth and let it air dry or use a dry towel to dry it off.

If it is easier for you, you can take the screen to your sink and spray it down with a sink hose, add a touch of dish soap and gently rub it, rinse it off and dry it with a towel.
Never use abrasive pads, cleaners or ammonia, as this will break down the protective coating on the screen.
In between cleanings, you can wipe down your screen with a dry towel or cloth, just to help remove some of the soot that builds up.  This will make it a lot easier to clean when you do a soap and water cleaning.

 

5 Minute Chocolate Cake

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Do you ever find yourself alone at night and just craving something sweet.  I have a great recipe that I got from a friend through email, so some of you may have already tried this.  It is simple to make.

4 Tablespoons Flour
4 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Cocoa
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons Milk
3 Tablespoons Oil
3 Tablespoons Chocolate Chips (optional)
A Small Splash of Vanilla Extract
1 Large Coffee Mug (Microwave Safe)

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.  Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well…
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract and mix again.
Put your coffee mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes (1000 watt microwave)

The cake will rise over the top of the mug.  Do not be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate, if desired.
Eat plain or add a scoop of ice cream to go with it.

NOW…Light a small fire in the fireplace, pour yourself a nice hot cup of tea or coffee and get a nice book to read or turn on the T.V. and ENJOY YOUR DESSERT and some alone time by the warm, crackling glow of your fireplace.

Voting Day

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Just a reminder to everyone.  Tuesday, November 6, 2012 is National Voting Day.  Whether it is your first time to vote or you vote every election, whether you vote Republican or you vote Democrat, this year is more important than ever to get your voice heard and vote for the man whom you think will serve our country the best.  If you don’t vote, you have no right to complain, if the man elected doesn’t take care of the country and issues like you thought or hoped he would.

My biggest and best suggestion for everyone is; PRAY and let God lead you in your decision. I am sorry if asking you to pray offends you, but, this country was founded on prayer and it is only prayer that is going to get us out of this mess that our country is in.    I think sometimes we get so busy in our lives, that we forget that one small important fact.

John F. Kennedy said it best:
“One person can make a difference and everyone should try”

God bless and have a blessed day.

Favorite Memories

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I have so many great childhood memories.  Things were so different when I was growing up.  We didn’t have X-Boxes, PlayStations or Nintendos.  However, I did not grow up in the days where you walked to school 10 miles, in boots that had a hole in the toe, and in snow that was waist deep, carrying your books in your arms, the whole way…like my dad always told us stories of (lol).  I am dating myself a bit by writing this, but, we did live in a different era and we found more time to spend with our families.

Some of my favorite memories of family gatherings took place at my aunt and uncle’s house.  They had a big beautiful, grassy, green backyard with a nice patio and built in fireplace.  The fireplace was different than the ones that you see today, but the warmth and glow of the fire are still a big part of my all-time favorite memories and when I sit by our fireplace at home, those memories come flooding back.

Hello world!

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This is my first attempt at writing a blog.  It seems that everyone is going this route, so if I want my website greatfiresides.com to get noticed, I guess I need to join the ranks of blogging.

I won’t lie to you.  My husband and I started this business with the idea of making some extra money (why does anyone start a business), but we chose the products due to the fact that I have always grown up with a fireplace and I have some great memories of family gatherings and good times around the fireplace.  Family is very important to us and if something as small as a fireplace can bring a family together, if even for one night, it has served its purpose.  It is our hope that other families will take the time out of their busy lives just to spend some evenings together around the fireplace, fire pit, or outdoors on the patio and create memories that their children will always remember and treasure.

In the weeks, months, and years to follow, I will be blogging about different things, whether it be suggestions on how to take care of your fireplace, favorite recipes that work great around the fireplace or outdoors by the fire pit, sharing some of the great memories that I have had with family and friends around the fire, or just writing about things that spark my interest, that others may also like to hear about.

I hope you will check out my website www.greatfiresides.com and tell your friends about our products. We strive to be a reputable company founded on honesty, integrity and Christian principles and to be a company that really cares about our customers and puts them first.