Trick-or-Treat for Tacos?

Trick-or-Treat for Tacos?

On Halloween Night (October 31st), Taco Bell is offering free Black-Jack tacos from 6 p.m. (after dark) till midnight. The Black Jack Taco (normally sold for 89 cents) contains taco beef, shredded lettuce, three cheese and spicy pepper jack sauce in a crunchy black corn taco shell.


Little goblins can gobble up tacos . . . one per customer at participating Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S.

Why not?

"One Nation Under God"

“One Nation Under God”

Not at Home Depot?

America may be the land of the free and the home of the brave, but the battle lines seem to have been redrawn at The Home Depot. The company recently fired young adult employee for wearing a patriotic badge sporting a line from the American “Pledge of Allegiance”:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag

of the United States of America,

and to the Republic for which it stands,

one Nation under God,

indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all."

For at least a year and a half, Trevor Keezor wore a “One Nation Under God” button to work as a Home Depot cashier in Okeechobee, Florida. Trevor Keezor pinned the American flag button to his Home Depot apron.

On October 23rd, Trevor Keezor was fired from his job at The Home Depot, allegedly for expressing his personal religious beliefs by wearing the "One Nation Under God" button.

About a month ago, the cashier had begun taking his personal Bible to work to read during his breaks. Soon afterwards, a store manager told him to remove the “One Nation Under God” button from his Home Depot apron. The company even offered Trevor Keezor a company-approved “United We Stand” badge.

Trevor Keezor refused to take off the patriotic faith-slogan button. According to one Home Depot company spokesman, the young man was fired for a corporate dress code violation. Apparently, only company-sponsored accessories may be worn on Home Depot aprons.

Claiming religious discrimination, Trevor Keezor has retained an attorney to sue his former employer, The Home Depot.

Want to contact Home Depot to express your own opinion about the company’s treatment of Trevor Keezor?

The Home Depot
2455 Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta, GA 30339

(770) 433-8211

Email The Home Depot

Paige-ing Dog Trainers!

Paige-ing Dog Trainers!

Who wouldn't want a dog that does the laundry, picks up toys, puts away groceries, tosses out trash and looks for ways to help around the house?

Gee, I can hardly get my kids to do that stuff.

Lauren Girard's two-year-old border collie, Paige (of Fairfax, Virginia), fits the bill. In fact, The Washington Post recently tagged Paige the winner for Best Pet Tricks. Check this out:

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Hey, Lauren!

We have this puppy . . . . We tried puppy classes, dog obedience school and everything we can think of. Can you help? Think Paige could teach him a thing or two?

Maybe Sometimes It Pays to Be a B----.

Maybe Sometimes It Pays to Be a B----.



Yesterday a Georgia woman apparently frightened a burglar from her front door by acting like a dog. And we all know the technical term for a female dog.

According to a report in the Athens Banner-Herald, the Athens, Georgia, woman began barking and scratching on the back of the front door, while the would-be intruder worked the door knob. Hearing the noise from within, the crook left empty-handed, without so much as a bone.

Local police suggested the man might have been homeless, and the investigation is ongoing.

Police searched the neighborhood for him, but were unsuccessful.

Halloween Humor

Halloween Humor


Just came across this familiar film clip. (OK, it's a little dated. You can see the ad for the video release at the end, and this Peanuts video came out a while ago.)

Still, this 1966 animated television special, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, is a perennial favorite for October and Halloween each year. Who's gonna watch again this season?

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(By the way ... did you know Fergie, of the Black Eyed Peas, voiced Sally Brown for some of the other Peanuts videos?)

What's your favorite Halloween cartoon? Why?

"Dona Nobis Pacem" 2009

"Dona Nobis Pacem" - 2009 Blog Blast for Peace

Practically at Home is proud to participate in the 2009 Blog Blast for Peace.

"Dona Nobis Pacem"
("Grant Us Peace")

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MySpace-Countdowns
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Pumpkin Pointers 101

Pumpkin Pointers 101

Halloween is ten days away. Have you put out your Halloween pumpkins yet? Is your front entrance ready for a slew of Halloween trick or treaters?

Do you carve Halloween pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns, or do you decorate your pumpkins some other way? Perhaps you simply place whole pumpkins on the porch with a hay bale, a few squashes and gourds and some multicolored Indian corn.


What do you do with your Halloween pumpkins?

Do you paint Halloween faces on your pumpkins, using craft paints? Are your faces simple or ornate, humorous or horrifying?


Do you draw jack-o-lantern faces on your Halloween pumpkins with colorful markers?

Do you simply create faces on Halloween pumpkins with Mr. Potato Head (or Mrs. Potato Head) pieces?

If you carve jack-o-lanterns from your Halloween pumpkins, do you use a pumpkin saw, or do you cut out your pumpkin faces with a kitchen knife?

Do you allow children to participate in the pumpkin carving or adults only?

Do you use pumpkin-carving templates (purchased in Halloween stores or craft shops), draw your own pumpkin-carving designs or just start cutting?

Do you prefer real pumpkins for Halloween, or do you purchase artificial pumpkins? Have you tried the inexpensive pre-carved and pre-lit artificial pumpkins?

Have you ever planted and grown your own Halloween pumpkins?

How long do your Halloween pumpkins last? Do you know any tricks for keeping Halloween pumpkins fresh as long as possible?

Do you save and roast pumpkin seeds for a Halloween snack? Have a Halloween pumpkin seed recipe to share?

Happy pumpkin carving!

Apples All Around

Apples All Around

October is National Apple Month in the United States. (According to some reports, the holiday actually lasts throughout the apple harvesting season - from September through November.)

What an idea! After all, who doesn't love apples?

To celebrate this timely and tart occasion, here are some of our favorite quotations about apples:

"Anyone can count the seeds in an apple,
but only God can count the number of apples in a seed.
Robert Schuller
American Clergyman
(1926 - )

"An apple a day
keeps the doctor away."
Old Welsh Proverb

"Even if I knew that tomorrow
the world would go to pieces,
I would still plant my apple tree."
Martin Luther
German Protestant Reformer
(1483 - 1546)

"The apple does not fall
far from the tree."
Anonymous Quote

What is your favorite quotation about apples?

Do you have a favorite apple variety? (Personally, I love those green Granny Smith apples.)

How about sharing a special apple recipe? Do you have healthy how-to's for baking an apple cobbler, apple crisp, apple danish, apple kringle or apple pie? Leave a comment below, and add a link to your own post, if you wish.

Enjoy National Apple Month!

A Most Creative Kiss Off

A Most Creative Kiss Off

Having spent several years working in advertising, I am often fascinated to find creative ad spots. Sometimes, I am appalled to see shoddy commercials as well.

Aren't we all?

Wielding our remote control devices, we often zip right through repetitive commercials. After one or two viewings, we may have committed the spots to memory anyway. And many ads, quite frankly, are total time-wasters.

Here's a commercial that is really different.

This creative television advertisement might just cause me to set the remote control down, if it appears on television screens in our own country.

Watch "Fighting for Kisses," and see for yourself.
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And the fight is on . . . to top this creativity!

The 1:57 ad was produced in 2007 by JWT Paris for Wilkinson Sword, a branch of Schick in the United Kingdom, to promote the Quattro TitaniumTM razor in France.

Gotta love copywriters with razor-sharp wit.

(Did you even notice the French subtitles?)

Onions and Swine Flu?

Onions and Swine Flu?

Here's another reason to cry about onions.

Popular lore has it that placing onions around the home may prevent the flu - perhaps even the dreaded swine flu.

Garlic may stop vampires (according to legend).
But onions do not stop swine flu . . . or any flu.

Check it out here.

So put those onions away, and wash your hands. That's the best way to prevent flu, anyway.

Swine Flu Prevention Pointers
Swine flu scares are hogging headlines, as government health departments scramble to contain the H1N1 virus. Many individuals have become infected with the H1N1 swine flu virus, which has even claimed several lives. How can H1N1 swine flu be prevented?


Swine Flu Facts for Seniors
H1N1 swine flu causes grunting in public circles, health agencies and government offices. The dreaded disease, which began in hogs, is now most commonly spread from person to person. What do senior citizens need to know about H1N1 swine flu?

Marge Simpson Is Playboy's November Cover Girl?

Marge Simpson Is Playboy's November Cover Girl?

OK, so we already know The Simpsons (created by Matt Groening for 20th Century Fox TV) is basically Rugrats for adults. But just how adult can a cartoon get?

Marge Simpson has posed nude for Playboy, an adult magazine. Where does popular culture go from here?

Remember Jessica Rabbit?

Maybe viewers thought Jessica Rabbit (in Disney's 1988 movie, Who Framed Roger Rabbit) was a little racy. Certainly, Jessica Rabbit had some pizzazz, and she knew how to work it.

"I'm not bad. I was drawn this way," Jessica cooed in the movie (voiced by actress Kathleen Turner).

Still, Jessica Rabbit never appeared in Playboy magazine.

Marge Simpson Bares All in Playboy?

Marge Simpson (voiced by actress Julie Kavner), the blue-haired wife of animated patriarch Homer Simpson in the edgy animated television series, The Simpsons, is scheduled to appear nude on the front cover of the November 2009 issue of Playboy magazine (see below). Strategically situated Playboy bunny ears obscure Marge Simpson somewhat on the magazine cover.

The publisher promises a full collection of nude photos (three pages' worth), including an interview with Marge Simpson herself.

The feature article has been headlined "The Devil in Marge Simpson." Supposedly, Marge Simpson's baring and daring appearance in Playboy is intended to celebrate the 20th season of the super-sarcastic animated television series, The Simpsons. (The series first appeared on Fox TV in 1989.)

Perhaps Marjorie (Marge) Bouvier Simpson is having a midlife crisis. Maybe Marge Simpson is facing menopause and wondering if she has lost her looks. In any case, Marge Simpson has forged new territory in redefining parental boundaries and role modeling.

What will the children think?

Television viewers may be scratching their heads, even as animators sketch their racy images, wondering what the world is coming too. And how will Marge Simpson's children (Bart Simpson, Lisa Simpson and Maggie Simpson) react to the naked truth about their mother? What does Homer Simpson think about his wife, Marge Simpson, appearing in the buff in Playboy?

Actually, serial reruns may reveal a naked Marge Simpson and even a naked Homer Simpson, sprinting through a public park in the ninth season of the animated series.

But now Marge Simpson will be seen in newstands across the nation (and worldwide), covered only by placeboards reading, "For Adults Only."

In any case, cartoons have surely changed since our childhood days, when the only cartoon bunnies we knew were named Bugs.

"What's up, Doc?"

And So Begins the Food Orgy ...

And So Begins the Food Orgy ...

Halloween may be a trick-or-treat candy fest for children, but it also seems to signal the beginning of the annual food orgy. The annual food orgy starts with trick-or-treating, extends through Thanksgiving, continues into Christmas and remains with us until the last of the Valentine's Day chocolates have been consumed.

What happens to our waistlines in the winter months?

The winter holidays multiply our joys, as we gather to celebrate with family and friends. We share delicious foods, treasured traditions and fun fellowship with one another. At the same time, we may find ourselves cringing, as we step onto the bathroom scales in the mornings.

Of course, we like to blame the holidays for the persistent temptations they may pose. We do, indeed, encounter many more tasty treats during this time of year than in any other season. Maybe we do overconsume during the winter holiday season.

At the same time, however, perhaps holiday goodies are not the culprit.

Snacking may most often be to blame. At least, for many of us (if we are honest), this may be true. When are we most tempted to snack? And in what circumstances are we most likely to overdo it with snacking?

Top 5 Worst Spots for Snacking

What are the top five worst spots for snacking? Is snacking a dieter's downfall? Even as certain snacks are best avoided by dieters, several popular snacking locations can prove perilous as well. (CTRL-click here to read, "Top 5 Worst Spots for Snacking: Perusing the Perils of Unconscious Consumption" in a new window.)

How would YOU introduce Jesus?

How would you introduce Jesus, if you had the honor of doing so? (Actually, we do!)

Comedian Steve Harvey seized a moment and offered a rousing testimony to the greatest celebrity of all. The video lasts about three minutes. It is astonishing.

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Watch the audience response!

How Many Days Till Christmas?

How Many Days Till Christmas?


Countdown Clocks

Of course, Santa arrived a little early in Minnesota this year . . .
The sleigh stopped briefly in Green Bay for a pickup,
then headed straight for Minnesota.
(Besides, a football quarterback probably wouldn't fit inside a Christmas stocking.)

Welcome, Autumn!

Welcome, Autumn!

Today is the first day of October. Although autumn actually began more than a week ago, the opening of October somehow makes the season feel official.

Here in the American Midwest, a blustery and damp day welcomed the new month. Leaves began swirling all around, amid fleeting rainstorms.

It's time to pack those summer blouses, tee shirts and tank tops. This weekend, many folks will pull cardigans, fleece jackets, sweaters and corduroys out of storage. Thermal under-layers and flannel-lined jeans suddenly seem much more appealing. It's time for autumn apparel.

Still, we welcome autumn. Putting on a pot of tea or hot cider is one way to greet this chilly, but colorful season.

Here's another way to bid a new season welcome. Doesn't everyone have a favorite autumn song? What's your favorite seasonal fall song?

Here's "Autumn Leaves," sung by Nat King Cole. Grab a piece of pumpkin bread (CTRL-click here for a delicious recipe.) and a steaming cup of your favorite hot beverage ... and enjoy.

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Related Items of Interest:

Autumn Corn Bread
No authentic Thanksgiving feast is complete without Autumn Corn Bread. Try this simple recipe to make your own delicious traditional corn bread from scratch for your favorite fall or anytime event.


Healthy Autumn Colors Soup
Fall brings a harvest of fresh vegetables and cooler outdoor temperatures. Hearty soups make popular suppers during this season of change. Healthy Autumn Colors Soup is filled with flavorful, attractive fall produce for a sturdy repast.

Hearty Pumpkin Waffles: A Tasty Treat for Autumn or Anytime
If you have a houseful of holiday guests, why not whip up a delicious waffle mix? Have the batter ready and the waffle iron piping hot, and your guests can make their own breakfast while you prepare the turkey!

Turkey Chili - A Delicious Supper on a Chilly Day
What could be more delicious on a brisk autumn or early winter day than a steaming serving of chili? Why not enjoy turkey chili, a creative and scrumptious way to employ your remaining scraps from your holiday feast?

Autumn Poems:

The Fall's Final Flash: On Maples and Monuments

Four-Season Acrostic: Autumn

Leaving Leaves: A Limericked Glow on Letting Go