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Table of Contents
Letter From The Editor
Your
Tradition or Mine?
Vienna in
Autumn
Home for the Holidays:
Military Style
Cookbook Recommendations
National Animal Shelter
Awareness Week
Writing:
Remember
What Your Mama Taught You
Holiday Stress: A Guide To Keeping
Your Cool
Fried Turkey: It's What's
for Dinner
Norman Rockwell got it
all Wrong
Groovy Love: Woodstock
Lives On
Tommy Turkey Treats
Sweet Mystery
Grandad's Country Ham
Sexercise 101
Household Tips
Fiction:
The Seeker
From Samhain
Publishing
November e-book releases
November print releases
Editors
J.C. Wilder,
Managing Editor
Anne Cain
Ciar Cullen
Lauren Dane,
Wrangler
Gia Dawn
Carolan Ivey
Lorelei James
Isabo Kelly
J.L. Langley
TJ Michaels
Ashleigh
Raine
Beth
Williamson
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Letter
From The EditorGreetings friends and readers!
This happens to be my favorite time of
year. The leaves fall like snowflakes in
brilliant reds and yellows. It’s soup
time and pumpkin bread time and more
time is spent with family.
This month’s issue is about a few of my
very favorite things! Family and food.
Combine those and you’re sure to dredge
up a few fabulous memories of
Thanksgiving (and a few not so fabulous
ones) or other holiday meals eaten
around a big table filled with the
people you cherish most in the world.
Enjoy the articles, the fiction and the
recipes. Most of all enjoy the time
spent with those you love.
Lauren Dane |
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Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish poet and
dramatist.
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Your Tradition or
Mine?
Beth Williamson
As happens with most couples when they
become a couple, the first holiday
dinner with their SO’s family is…
challenging. By that I mean, you walk
into this other family’s house and
suddenly things smell different. Your
mom’s house always smelled the same on
holidays, right? But your MIL’s house
had another kind of odor.
The odor of unfamiliar food.
Each family has so many holiday food
traditions, it’s hard to accept and
adopt someone else’s. Case in point,
Thanksgiving dinner. |
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My mother’s been making the same dishes for
Thanksgiving since I was little, even my sister
and I make the same dishes she did. Turkey with
homemade stuffing, gravy, homemade rolls, mashed
sweet potatoes, mashed white potatoes, and a few
veggies, along with cranberry sauce, pickles and
olives. For dessert, homemade pumpkin pie or
apple pie.
Simple, but hearty fare (which sorta describes
my childhood ;).
The
first time I had Thanksgiving at my BF’s
house (he’s now my DH), I didn’t know where to
turn or what to do *staving of panic* Where to
begin? Okay, let’s start with the turkey.
(Bring on the FOOD!)
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The most dangerous food to
eat is a wedding cake.
Proverb
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Vienna in
Autumn Isabo Kelly
My husband and I don’t travel like we
used to. All that running around,
“seen-it, done-it” stuff gets
exhausting. And when you wear yourself
out “touristing”, there’s no time left
in the evenings (or mornings, or
afternoons) for any romance. So we take
it easy these days. We pick a place we
think we’ll enjoy and then just…walk.
This fall, we went to Vienna, Austria,
and we discovered a beautiful, rich city
full of unexpected surprises. |
Walking the city was easy. There’s a huge
pedestrian street running from the State Opera
House (Staatsoper) to Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s
Cathedral), as well as several other such
streets throughout the central part of the city.
Beyond these areas, there’s still plenty of
sidewalk space to avoid traffic (though
occasionally we had to walk single-file). If
you’re so inclined, there are plenty of bicycle
paths all around the city, too—although we’re
just not that energetic ourselves. And if you’re
not into walking, the public transport system is
spectacular. It’s easy to navigate, relatively
inexpensive, and extensive throughout Vienna.
(More, MORE!)
I will not eat
oysters. I want my
food dead -- not
sick, not wounded --
dead.
Woody Allen(1935-?)
American director,
actor and comedian.
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Home for the Holidays:
Military Style Melissa Schroeder
I have spent close to 40 years as a
dependent of the US Air Force. Some bad,
some good, all of it memorable. It is
odd to those of you who don’t share the
“life” to understand how we live without
knowing from one year to the next where
we will live, or if our spouse will be
with us for the holidays. It definitely
isn’t easy, and it really isn’t for
everyone. I can’t really explain it to
others when they ask me how I accomplish
it without falling apart or killing
someone. I just shrug and say that I am
my mother’s daughter.
No matter where we lived or what our
situation was, we were home when I was
growing up. By the time I was nine I had
lived in three states and two countries
(six houses-a seventh by my tenth
birthday), but I never had a sense of not
belonging. My parents never
talked of Pittsburgh—where they both
grew up--as our home. We were
home. My first true memory of a holiday
was in Germany, our first Christmas
there. For people who have never
experienced Christmas in Germany, it is
one of the most magical places to be
that time of year. I had five of them
and they were wonderful. I never
thought, “Wow, I wish I was home.”
Because I was home. In that
place, in that time, I was home because
I had my family. No matter where we live
or what the future holds for us, I want
that for my children.
(Hoo-AH!) |
Happiness is
having a large,
loving, caring,
close-knit family in
another city.
George Burns
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Cookbook
Recommendations The editors of The Samhellion have
gathered together a list of our favorite
cookbooks. These wonderful gems contain
everything from soups to vegetarian
dishes and gourmet desserts! So if
you're looking for something different
to spice up your holiday meals, look no
further than this list.
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If you're looking for
some electronic cookbooks, there are two
available on
J.C.'s website, just click on Free
eBooks. |
Adam was the
luckiest man; he had
no mother-in-law.
Mark Twain
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National Animal
Shelter
Appreciation
Week
Anne Cain
Anyone who’s
ever owned and
treasured a pet
understands the
love having a
furry companion
brings. These
animals become
full-fledged
members of our
families, loving
unconditionally
and bringing so
much joy into
our lives. But
in the United
States alone,
thousands of
otherwise
healthy,
beautiful cats
and dogs never
have the chance
to find a good
home. |
November 4th
through the 10th
is National Animal
Shelter Appreciation
Week, giving us all a
chance to recognize the
good these organizations
do for their communities
and pet lovers alike.
There are many No-Kill
shelters across the
country and worldwide
dedicated to caring for
strays and abandoned
animals until they are
adopted. Like
Operation Kindness
in Carrolton, TX, these
organizations provide a
safe, humane environment
and veterinary treatment
for their wards,
including vaccines and
spaying/neutering
procedures.
With the holiday season
approaching, please take
a moment to think about
these animal shelters
that are lending man’s
best friend a helping
paw. If you or someone
you know is thinking
about adding a new
member to the family,
please consider adopting
a pet from a local
shelter instead of
purchasing from a
breeder. There are
thousands of pups and
kittens waiting for a
good home, with so much
love to share.
(More Puppies Please!)
Bah, Humbug - Scrooge
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WRITING:
Remember What
Your Mama Taught
You
Beverly Rae
My mom, like
most moms, did
her best to
prepare me for
the real world.
She taught me
right from
wrong, left from
right, and where
to knee the
neighbor boy
when he got too
handsy. Granted,
she never knew
anything about
the publishing
industry, but
her lessons
about life have
helped me in my
career. Maybe
they can help
you, too.
Here are a few
lessons to
remember when
starting a
writing career.
(More,
More) |
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Holiday Stress, A Guide To Keeping Your Cool
by J.C. Wilder
Ask anyone and they'll tell you the holidays are
stressful. If someone does disagree, they're
lying! :) Stress and depression can not only
ruin your holidays but your health as well. At
this time of year you're facing a dizzying list
of demands, work, parties, shopping, baking,
decorating and lots of other chores. So much for
great tidings of Joy, eh?
There are three major triggers of holiday stress
or depression:
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Relationships
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Finances
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Physical Demands
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When stress is at it's peak, its
difficult to step back, take a deep breath and regroup.
The best defense is to try and stave off stress and
depression especially if it has taken an emotional toll
in the previous years.
Here are a few tips to deal with holiday stress:
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Be realistic - You will never, no matter how much
you try, create that perfect Norman Rockwell
Christmas. Learn to accept that things will go
wrong, the food will burn, the oven will break down,
something will also come up. The holidays aren't
about the perfect dinner party, it's all about
sharing your time with those you love.
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Stick to a budget - Decide how much you can spend on
gifts or entertaining. Remember that you cannot buy
happiness with bigger, more expensive gifts.
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Acknowledge your feelings - It's okay to feel blue
and to take time to cry and express your feelings.
You can't force yourself to be happy just because
it's the holidays.
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Set aside differences - Try to accept people as they
are. When you feel let down or wronged by someone,
it is because they don't live up to your
expectations of them. People will disappoint you,
let it go for a more appropriate time and place to
discuss it.
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Plan ahead - as much as you can, plan out your
shopping, menus and party plans. This will help to
avoid last minute shopping to pick up those
forgotten items.
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Learn to say no - People will understand when you
tell them you can't do something. If you say yes to
something that you really don't want to do, you'll
only end up feeling resentful later.
(No
More Stress!) |
