家的塑造者
学习英语可以是一个枯燥的过程，也可以是一个有趣的过程。我在此献上经典英语美文，希望对大家喜欢。
双语美文：愿得一人心，白首不分离
One warm evening many years ago…
犹记得多年前，那个让人暖心的夜晚
After spending nearly every waking minute with Angel for eight straight days, I knew that I had to tell her just one thing. So late at night, just before she fell asleep, I whispered it in her ear. She smiled – the kind of smile that makes me smile back – and she said, “When I’m seventy-five and I think about my life and what it was like to be young, I hope that I can remember this very moment.
”整整8天除了睡着其余的时间我都陪着安吉尔，酝酿已久，我想我一定要告诉她一件事。于是这天夜里，就在她刚刚睡下，我便在她耳边轻声说起来，说完她就笑了，是那种希望得到我回应的笑，接着说道：“真希望我老到75岁的时候，开始回忆，这一刻须臾会变成永恒。”
A few seconds later she closed her eyes and fell asleep. The room was peaceful – almost silent. All I could hear was the soft purr of her breathing. I stayed awake thinking about the time we’d spent together and all the choices in our lives that made this moment possible. And at some point, I realized that it didn’t matter what we’d done or where we’d gone. Nor did the future hold any significance.
很快她就闭上眼睛睡着了，整个房间祥和安静，甚至有些寂静。耳畔起伏着安吉尔轻柔的呼吸声，我清醒的回忆我们共度的这些美好时光，是冥冥之中的选择成就了我们在一起的时刻。我们做过什么，去过哪里都不重要，甚至未来也不重要。
All that mattered was the serenity of the moment.
眼下最重要的就是此刻的和谐安宁。
Just being with her and breathing with her.
只要能与她同呼吸共命运，便别无所求。
The moral: We must not allow the clock, the calendar, and external pressures to rule our lives and blind us to the fact that each individual moment of our lives is a beautiful mystery and a miracle – especially those moments we spend in the presence of a loved one.
启示：时间、日常事务、以及其他的外部压力都不能左右和束缚我们的生活，因为每个人，尤其是与心爱之人一起度过的美好时光，才是我们生命中最让人心驰神往，美妙动人的追寻。
双语美文：在逆境中学到了人生最重要的一课
Everybody has to face bad days in their life. Some face ailments, some face fears, some face poverty, some face helplessness etc etc. No one can escape from it. It is a rule of life. Two things always combines together like joy and sadness, laugh and cry, health and illness, profit and loss, morning and night, confidence and inferiority complex, victory and failure likewise good days and bad days.
每个人都会有不如意的时候，有人身体欠佳，有人面临恐惧，有人贫困不堪，有人迷惘无助，等等，没有人能够一帆风顺，直至终老。如影随形，此消彼长的事物，比如，高兴与悲伤，欢笑与哭泣，健康与疾病，获得与失去，早晨和晚上，自信与自卑，成功与失败，顺境和逆境也是如此。
You know what is the biggest advantage of bad days? You come to know GOD. What is God? What he can do? He is so friendly, understanding, loving and moreover God is the Superman he can do anything in a second. Yes true he can do anything. He is the only light in darkness. God is so merciful he always forgives and never complaint whether you ignore him many times that is why according to me God is the only best and faithful friend who never cheats.
你知道不顺的日子带给你最大的感悟是什么?就是你开始信奉神明。上帝是谁?他能够帮我做些什么?他是那么的亲切和蔼，善解人意，胸怀广博，不仅如此他就像超人瞬间排除一切障碍。是的上帝无所不能，他是黑暗中的一丝曙光。之所以上帝是人类完美的朋友，是因为他是如此坦诚布公，慈悲为怀，予取予求，不图回报，原谅世人的无数次薄情。
When bad days come a person first of all cannot understand what is going on, why me? But after sometimes he realises his strength and start doing every single thing to come out of it. And he comes out but that journey is though very painful but when you once crossed it you will find your journey very meaningful, you will feel like as your rebirth. You have totally changed your thoughts, your perception, and you can understand life better. You get the meaning of your life. In short you start becoming wise.
当不幸降临，一开始我们总会怨天尤人。但是为了摆脱困境，我们竭尽所能。当一切过去，回头来看，这段经历对你来说非比寻常，如同凤凰涅槃。而且你的思想观念都会发生翻天覆地的变化，对人生也会有更加深刻的领悟，简而言之，你会变得更加睿智。
The biggest lesson of life during bad days according to me is that a person becomes spritual and a giver which he wasn't before. Life means to creat it. First think what you want in your life then start giving the same think. This is one of the most important thing I have learnt in my life. You want love then start spreading it, you want money then start giving to needy, you want happiness then start doing all things which give happiness. Everything is in your hand you only need to give first. If don't have everything then give or share what you have. Still you feel you have nothing to share then give smile. You can't imagine that your smile can do wonder for someone. So start smiling from today onwards.
逆境给我最深的领悟是，变得更加注重精神层面，懂得给予。生命的真谛在于，遵循你的内心先去履行赋予它的意义，这是我的感悟。比如，你想要得到爱你先要懂得如何传播爱，你想要钱，你先要懂得施舍，你想要快乐，那就先做让别人快乐的事情。你想要得到就必须先付出。如果你一无所有，那么你至少可以面对他人，面带微笑。微笑的魔力超乎想象，那让我们从今天开始就坚持面带微笑吧。
The most beautiful lesson I have learnt in my life is that If you are in pain then remember one thing: time is though hard but it would be the best time of your life. You know why we have to face hard days? Did you think about it? No!!!! Ok I will tell you. We always forget two unforgettable things. First is God and second is family. Nowadays money is everything. Money is important, in fact very important but it is not a life so why to spend whole life in earning money. When will we live? What you can do now you can't do it tomorrow so don't let the day pass without enjoying.
逆境中让我感到的最美好的是，体会到上帝和家庭的重要性，这两样东西是我们平常最容易忽略的。每日碌碌只为功名利禄，钱财物质固然重要，但不是生活的唯一，活在当下，感受生活的美好安逸，不要让这些轻易的溜走。
One thing I must share with you is that if you want to grow and learn more than you know, then do whatever you want to do but beyond your comfort zone. Always try to think that I can, then nothing is impossible for you. Difficulty is in the mind not in work.You know one thing when we accept life as it comes or we accept that everything happens for a reason or for our betterment. Believe me you will find your hard days as an adventure but you need to trust God and at the end you will find yourself a winner.
如果你们想要很好的学习成长，那么我倒有条建议，就是在你们的舒适区之外尝试任何你们想做的事情。困难只是心魔，克服它便没有什么可以阻挡你。坦然面对并接受人生的起落，不管是什么原因，亦或是让我们成为很好的自己。我保证当你回忆起这段不顺，你会发现就像经历了一场冒险，但你依然要相信上苍，最后你会发现，你自己也能成为救世主。
I hope you like it. Love you all and God bless you all with healthy wealthy long life and good destiny.
希望你们喜欢这篇鸡汤文。爱你们，上帝保佑你们都长命百岁，平顺喜乐。
美文欣赏：没有颜值又如何?同样能有精彩的活法
When I was seven years old, I would put my school book bag on both my shoulders and had it sit plumb in the middle of my back, as backpacks were made to do.
在我七岁那年，我会用双肩背书包，让它处在我背部的正中央，感觉双肩包就应该这么背。
One morning, when it was so frigid outside you could barely muster getting out of bed, my older brother joined me at the bus stop, and told me I was wearing my backpack wrong. He grabbed it, tossed it over my right shoulder with both straps on the same side and said, “There, that’s better.”
某天早晨，外面寒风萧瑟，冷到你根本不想起床，我的哥哥跟我一同在车站等车，他告诉我我的双肩包背错了。他一把抓过来，将书包和两侧的背带甩至我的右肩，然后说“看，这就好多了。”
Then he said, “You’re not pretty, so you have to try harder. OK?”
然后他说，“你不漂亮，所以你要更加努力，明白吗?”
I stayed smiling because even at a young age, I understood the importance of pretending to not have emotions. In my household, it was a matter of survival. But what he said crushed me.
我的笑容凝固了，因为即便在青少年时期，我也知道假装不露声色的重要性。在我家里，这是一种生存技能。但是他说的让我感到崩塌。
Soon thereafter, I started picking up on the signs one receives when they aren’t attractive. This was made more complicated because I had a lot of friends and people who, for the most part, liked me. I was good at sports. I had various musical talents and up until life completely fell apart at home, I was a good student. I was also a fighter so people didn’t dare make fun of me overtly, at least before growth spurts kicked in and the playing field was still even.
此后，我开始关注人们对于低颜值人的反应。这可是比较浩大的工程，因为我有许多朋友和家人，他们大部分时候还是挺喜欢我的。我擅长体育，具有各式的音乐天赋，而且直到我的家庭生活彻底支离破碎前，我也是个好学生。我同时也很好强，所以人们不太敢公然地开我玩笑。至少，在发育高峰之前，生活还是比较公平的。
Mostly, I paid for not being conventionally attractive by being ignored or not included in “moments” – the many moments attractive people experience.
很多时候，我因为没有高颜值而被人忽略或无法经历“某些时刻”——那些具有高颜值的人所经历的时刻。
Many times, I walked into a room with all of my friends and witnessed them receiving compliments – everyone except me. It’s not that people look at you say, “My god, you’re incredibly ugly. Tell me, how do you not kill yourself?” It’s how you can stand next to an attractive person and the people around you, even the unattractive ones themselves, will say, “Wow, your friend is pretty. Look at her, have you ever seen a girl so pretty?”
不知多少次我和我朋友一起走进教室然后看着她们接受别人的赞美，除了我之外每个人都有。也并非人们看着你说“天哪，你真是丑啊，你为什么还活着呢?”，而是你站在美女或帅哥旁边，人们围着你，甚至毫不起眼的人他们都会说“噢，你的朋友真漂亮。看看她，还有谁能美过她呢?”
It took me being observant and honest to see I didn’t belong. It took studying the aesthetics in photos taken by my friends and knowing something wasn’t quite right. It’s a lack of pride you know would be there if you were just prettier, or sexier. It’s that you simply know that no matter what you do, sans literal plastic surgery, you will never belong to a certain club.
我善于察言观色，而且很诚实，所以我知道我注定不合主流。我仔细研究我朋友照片中的美学，然后发现某些东西并非是真理。如果你仅仅是姿色更上一层或性感尤物，你却缺乏油然而生的自豪感。你明白无论你怎改变，除非整形，你永远不会属于高颜值的团体。
But here is where I throw you a curve ball: my being unattractive hasn’t stopped me from living the other side’s life. Most people never figure out how to navigate this world I live in. I will just tell you I rejected the rules of the beautiful, and learned how to make them work for me.
但是现在我给你一剂药方：我的不出众的相貌并不能阻止我拥有自己的生活。许多人在处于和我一样的境地时都不知道如何掌控他们自己的方向。我想告诉你的是：我打破了颜值定律并让他们变得有利于自己。
I decided I would shoot out of my league. I made friends and dated people I shouldn’t be allowed to date. I stepped over the line. I surrounded myself with individuals who are more educated, prettier or smarter than me, even in the face of people saying, quite literally, “they are out of your league.”
我决定扩展我的圈子，我和以前觉得不能交朋友的人交朋友，和以前觉得不能约的人约会。我越过了那条线，周围全是比我更有学识、更漂亮的人，甚至人们告诉我，非常实事求是的说“他们可不是你圈子里的人啊”。
I may not technically be the smartest or most beautiful person, but I run with those who are. I become by association, even a touch of such, even at a lower rank – beautiful. I buck the system.
我也许不会是最聪明最漂亮的人，但是我和这些人一同奋斗，哪怕仅有一点点提升，哪怕仍然没那么漂亮，我踢爆了这个固有的规则。
To do so, yes, means you may be painfully aware of what you are and will never be. You will be defined by what you have the nerve to aim at being. In doing so, you will challenge and question what smart is. You will not be generic, or predictable. Attractive is only what we define it to be. Don’t pigeonhole yourself so quickly. Live the life you want to live – even if you didn’t win the genetic lottery.
是的，这样做你也许会痛苦的发现自己的真想并再也不可能成为“漂亮”的人。你前进的目标将定义你自己。如此一来，你会挑战和质疑“聪慧”。你将成为个例或非等闲之辈。美丽仅仅是我们给的定义。别那么快的给自己归类，即使你没有天赋，也要活出自己的精彩。
吃尸体的秃鹰
学习英语可以是一个枯燥的过程，也可以是一个有趣的过程。我在此献上经典英语美文，希望对大家喜欢。
美文欣赏：没有通往幸福的路，幸福本身就是一条路
Too many people think of happiness as the ultimate goal of life. But, if you’re waiting for happiness to arrive then it’s likely that it never will!
有太多人把幸福当作人生的终极目标，但如果你只是等待幸福来敲门，幸福可能永远都不会到来!
You’re always wanting something more, always looking forward to a time when you’ll be “happy”. And, if you fall into this trap, you’ll never reach that goal. Happiness should not be your life’s goal, it should be your life! The only time to be happy is right now! It’s state of mind, not a set of accomplishments or the accumulation of material things. You must accept that life will always have challenges and things will not always go your way.
你总是期待得到更多，总是期待着你变“幸福”的那一刻。然而，如果你陷入这种思维陷阱，那你永远也达不到这个目的。幸福不该是生活的目标，它应该是生活本身!幸福唯一该存在的时刻，就是每时每刻的现在!它是一种心态，而不是一连串的成就，或者物质财富的积累。你必须要接受的是：生活中总会有挑战，事情不会总朝着你期望的方向发展。
Instead of feeling disappointed when things don’t work out the way you’d hoped, feel grateful for the experience. Instead of dreaming of a brighter, happier, richer tomorrow, make today as wonderful as you can.
事情的发展不如你所愿时不要沮丧，你要对拥有这次体验心存感激。不要幻想着明天会更美好、更幸福、更富有，要尽可能精彩地过好今天。
Happiness is a conscious decision and that I can make it right now. Thinking of the future and having aspirations is essential to leading a happy and fulfilled life. The trick is not to let thoughts of the future overshadow your enjoyment of the present and the appreciation of the things and people you have in your life right now!
幸福是我此刻就能做出的有意识的决定。思考未来、胸怀大志是幸福美满生活的基础，关键在于不要让对未来的思考掩盖当下的快乐和对现在生活中人和事的感激!
There is no way to happiness: happiness is the way!
没有通往幸福的路：幸福本身就是一条路!
Stop waiting for happiness to arrive and simply decide to be happy! It’s not some great goal or destination, it’s a journey and a way of life.
不要再等着幸福登门了，你需要做的仅仅是决定幸福地活着!这不是什么伟大的目的目标，只是生命的旅程和道路。
双语美文欣赏：善有善报，恶有恶报
A woman baked chapatti for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chapatti on the window sill. Every day, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way: “The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!”
一个女人给家人烤薄饼，还留出一个给饥肠辘辘的路人。她总是把留出的那个放在窗台上，每天都有一个驼背的人来拿走薄饼。他没说过一句“谢谢”，反而总是边走边咕哝着：“善有善报，恶有恶报!”
The woman felt irritated. “Not a word of gratitude,” she said to herself… “Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean?” One day, she decided to do away with him. She added poison to the chapatti she prepared for him!
女人很生气，她自言自语地说：“这个驼背人从没说过谢谢，却每天都重复这句话，是什么意思呀?”一天，她决定弄死他，就在为他准备的薄饼上下了毒。
As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. “What is this I am doing?” she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared another one. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and muttered the words: “The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!”
她正要把饼放在窗台上，手就开始颤抖了，她说：“我在做什么?”她马上把饼扔进了火里，重新做了一张。一切照旧，驼背人来了，拿起薄饼，咕哝着：“善有善报，恶有恶报!”
Every day, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune.
每天女人把饼放窗台上时都为去远方赚钱的儿子祈祷。
That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He was hungry and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, “Mom, it’s a miracle I’m here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. He was kind enough to give me a whole chapatti. He said, “Your need is greater than mine!”
那天晚上，有人敲门，她打开门惊讶地发现儿子站在门口，他很饿很虚弱。一看见妈妈他就说：“妈妈，我能回来真是奇迹。离家还有一英里远的时候，我太饿了走不动了。我差点儿就死了，但就在那时一个老驼背人路过，他很善良给了我一整张饼。他说：‘你比我更需要它’。”
She remembered the poisoned chapatti that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son!
她想起了那天早上做的有毒的饼，要不是她把饼烧了，就会被她儿子吃了!
It was then that she realized the significance of the words: “The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!” Do good and don’t ever stop doing good, even if it is not appreciated at that time.
那时她才意识到这句话的重要性：“善有善报，恶有恶报!”多行善举，即使当时不被人感激也要坚持下去。
双语美文：妈，我可能不听话，但这并非坏事
Mom, I Got My Attitude From You, And That’s Not A Bad Thing!
妈妈，这倔劲儿随你，而这不是一件坏事!
Dear Mom,
亲爱的妈咪，
The big question appalled and surprised parents often ask their child after a confrontational or revelatory moment is, "Where did you get this attitude from?" I know you hate to admit it, but I get much of my determined and strong-willed nature from you.
经过一阵对抗和宣泄之后，震惊的父母通常会问：“你的这种态度是哪里来的?”我知道你不乐意承认这些，但我这坚持不懈的性格，大多都是从你那里学来的。
Mom, I know it’s hard dealing with the teenage angst and the ever-changing moods that come with raising a child. But you should also marvel at the fact that I’ve made it this far, that I’m healthy and happy.
妈妈，我知道对为青春期的孩子担忧的感受不好受，也知道你的心情因为养育孩子而跌宕起伏。但你也应该惊叹于我已经成长到了这一步，而我现在健康又快乐。
When I was small, I would attend barbecues and family events and wander away from my parents. It wouldn’t be long before someone would stop me to ask whether I was my mother’s daughter.
小时候，我会在烧烤派对和家庭活动中离开父母自己到处跑。不久，总会有人拦住我问我是不是我母亲的女儿。
"Your mom is Melissa," they’d say, a warm smile on their faces. "Is that right?" I would nod, I assume, parents feel when their child talks back or defies them, I was appalled at this statement. To me, I acted nothing like you, Mom.
“你妈妈是梅丽莎，”他们会带着温暖的微笑问，“对吧?”我会点头，我想，当孩子顶撞父母的时候，父母在感情上肯定很受伤吧，我当时被这个想法震惊到了。在我看来，我和你一点都不像啊，妈妈。
No one says, "I know you’re Melissa’s daughter because of your eyes and nose" it’s the character traits that seal the deal. Dry wit, intelligence, and yes, maybe a little bit of attitude—these are the things I am grateful I have received from you. There’s nothing wrong with having attitude.
没有人会说：“我知道你是梅利莎的女儿，是因为你的眼睛和鼻子和你妈妈很像”其实，性格特点的相似才是背后的原因。我很高兴我从你那遗传了我的机智、聪明，可能还有一点倔劲儿。这样的性格没有什么不对的。
。
Like for most black individuals, attitude is what defines you and me, and it’s what keeps us from being mentally oppressed and defeated. Attitude is a non-violent form of protection and confrontation -- where would we be in the world without this tool? Surely not where we are.
像对大多数黑人一样，这倔劲儿是我们的标志，它使我们免于在精神上受到压迫和击败。态度是一种非暴力的自保与对抗，如果没有这个工具，我们的生活将是怎样?肯定没有现在这么好。
Mom, when people ask me where I get my attitude from, I tell them: you. And when they ask me where I got my drive, my work ethic, my good hair, and my sense of humor, I say you as well. I will always say this.
妈妈，当人们问我这倔劲儿是从哪来的，我会告诉他们，是从你那来的。当他们问我在哪里获得动力、职业道德、我的好发质和幽默感，我也会说是你。我会永远这样说。
When I’m asked why I am the way I am -- why I refuse to allow others to hurt me with their words or actions, why I think and speak about things openly and without fear—I’ll tell them it's because of you.
当别人问起我为什么会这样处事——我为什么不许别人用言语或者言行伤害我，为什么我可以毫无恐惧的坦然的说出我所想的事——我会告诉他们，是因为你。
I’ll complain to you about the arguments between us that leave me wondering about how God made us so much alike that we hardly even noticed.
我要跟你谈谈我们的那些冲突，它们让我很好奇上帝是如何使我们如此相像，以至于我们几乎没有注意到。
But I’ll tell them about you.
但我会跟别人说，我的优点都来自你。
Love,
爱你的
Malahni
马拉尼
Joy9999999
阅读帮助人们更多的了解世界。在 英语学习 中,阅读是人们获取英语知识、提高英语水平的有效途径。下面是我带来的经典英语美文带翻译，欢迎阅读!经典英语美文带翻译篇一 the most beautifulbridge The orange towers of the Golden Gate Bridge probably the most beautiful, certainly the most photographed bridge in the world are visible from almost every point of elevation in San Francisco. The only cleft in Northern California's 600-mile continental wall, for years this mile-wide strait was considered unbridgeable. As much an architectural as an engineering feat, the Golden Gate took only 52 months to design and build, and was opened in 1937. Designed by Joseph Strauss, it was the first really massive suspension bridge, with a span of 4200ft, and until 1959 ranked as the world's longest. It connects the city at its northwesterly point on the peninsula to Marin County and Northern California, rendering the hitherto essential ferry crossing redundant, and was designed to withstand winds of up to a hundred miles an hour and to swing as much as 27ft. Handsome on a clear day, the bridge takes on an eerie quality when the thick white fogs pour in and hide it almost completely. You can either drive or walk across. The drive is the more thrilling of the two options as you race under the bridge's towers, but the half-hour walk across it really gives you time to take in its enormous size and absorb the views of the city behind you and the headlands of Northern California straight ahead. Pause at the midway point and consider the seven or so suicides a month who choose this spot, 260ft up, as their jumping-off spot. Monitors of such events speculate that victims always face the city before they leap. In 1995, when the suicide toll from the bridge had reached almost 1000, police kept the figures quiet to avoid a rush of would-be suicides going for the dubious distinction of being the thousandth person to leap. Perhaps the best-loved symbol of San Francisco, in 1987 the Golden Gate proved an auspicious place for a sunrise party when crowds gathered to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. Some quarter of a million people turned up (a third of the city's entire population); the winds were strong and the huge numbers caused the bridge to buckle, but fortunately not to break. 经典英语美文带翻译篇二 the whole of Pearl Harbor Almost the whole of Pearl Harbor, the principal base for the US Pacific fleet (just over one hour from Waikiki, beyond the airport, on TheBus #20), is off limits to visitors. However, the surprise Japanese attack of December 7, 1941, which an official US enquiry called "the greatest military and naval disaster in our nation's history", is commemorated by a simple white memorial set above the wreck of the battleship USS Arizona, still discernible in the clear blue waters. More than 1100 of its crew who had earned the right to sleep in late that Sunday morning by coming second in a military band competition are entombed there. Free tours to the ship operate between 8am and 3pm each day, but it can be two or three hours after you pick up your numbered ticket at the Pearl Harbor visitor center (daily 7.30am5pm) before you are called to board the ferry across the bay. Many of the 1.5 million annual visitors are Japanese; an even-handed twenty-minute film pays tribute to "one of the most brilliantly planned and executed attacks in naval history", and books and charts are on sale telling the Japanese side of the story. The USS Arizona memorial was partly financed by Elvis Presley's 1961 Honolulu concert, his first show after leaving the Army. 经典英语美文带翻译篇三 Minneapolis-St. Paul If you want to really celebrate Halloween, try taking a trip to Anoka, Minn., a town just north of Minneapolis-St. Paul that touts itself as the "Halloween Capital of the World." The town's claim to Halloween fame stems from efforts to keep mischievous young people in line on the holiday. In the years after World War I, many young people, including those in Anoka (pop. 18,000), enjoyed playing pranks on Halloween. But when the Anoka pranksters corralled a herd of cows down Main Street in 1919, the local merchants had seen enough. The next year, in 1920, the city started a Halloween festival believed to be the first ever in the United States. Organizers held parties and parades, giving idle hands something to do, and parents a chance to keep an eye on them. The tradition has been going strong ever since. In her quest for decorating ideas for the ghoulish holiday, Good Morning America's gardening and lifestyle editor Rebecca Kolls visited Anoka to join the festivities and to offer her own decorating ideas. To add a ghoulish feel to your front porch, Kolls suggests two quick and easy solutions. To make an instant ghost, just throw a sheet over a lamppost. To make a quickie lit-up jack-o-lantern, cut out the back of plastic pumpkin and put it over the lamppost. If you want to get a little fancier, follow Kolls' directions for creating a more elaborate jack-o-lantern: Step One Gather Materials: X-acto knife with a jigsaw blade Pumpkin Set of stencils or some leaves Felt-tip pen Straight pins Petroleum jelly Candle Step Two To begin, remove the insides of the pumpkin. First cut off the top of the pumpkin. Then stick your hand inside to remove the seeds. Step Three Begin tracing the pattern. Choose a stencil (or any flat flexible object that you want to trace) and position it on any side of the pumpkin. To hold the stencil in place, use some straight pins. Take a felt-tip pen and trace the stencil pattern onto the pumpkin. Once this is done, remove the straight pins and the stencil to see the pattern on the pumpkin. Step Four Begin carving the design by using your X-acto knife. Be sure to stay within the lines. When the design is cut out, you can pop out the insides. To give the design more definition, you might want to clean up the pumpkin's edges with your X-acto knife. Step Five To make the pumpkin last, keep it in a cool location and rub the cut edges with a bit of petroleum jelly.
