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It's been awhile since I actually sat down and wrote a blog entry. Some of that reason is due to the fact I'm a solitary writer. Meaning, my husband recently retired and has been home mulling around here and there. Now, I don't mind interruptions, especially from him, but they do cause me to lose the 'flow' of writing and when put aside, it's hard for me to pick it back up. When you've read any former entries of mine, you know they were done on a continual "solitary" thought process where I just keep going until I find that closing sentence or phrase.
Since there's been a few 'adjustments' in our new way of life, and now that my little world is beginning to bore my dear husband and he's found a long term project, I've set my mind on getting to the point of actually publishing a blog entry. I must add, I do so appreciate my friends who always throw me a 'not so subtle hint' that I need to get back on the bandwagon of writing. You've encouraged the thoughts I've kept on the edge of my mind enough to get back in the groove. Like riding a bike, one never really forgets how to do something they enjoy. So, once again, the writing continues.
As you Facebook friends know, I'm completely in love with my garden this year. This was really the first time I can say I was successful with indoor seed cultivating. All the other times my efforts failed simply because I just didn't see it all the way through. But this year, I stuck with it. That, to me, is a major milestone. I'm one to put something down 75% of the way through and not pick it up again. If I can be successful once, surely I can do it with other facets of my life. Like housework.
There is a saying by an unknown author, "God made rainy days so gardeners could get the housework done". What a shame someone didn't take credit for that! In fact, it could very well have been the 11th Commandment! 'Thou shalt only do housework on days when it rains'. That's justifiable procrastination at it's best! But with little rain in the forecast, I guess I'll continue doing it in snippets all the while promising myself when winter arrives and we're hunkered down, I'll tackle this house till it's spit shined! Until then, on rainy days, I guess you know where I'll be.
Always~
Cha
Being a lefty has always made me wonder if the right handed world ever stops to consider the dilemma of doing things 'backwards'. I know our two right handed kids did.
See, for them, growing up in a home where both Mom and Pop were lefties wasn't exactly easy. Come to think of it, I suppose it wasn't any harder than what lefties go through all their life. They they able to get a good taste of how 10% of society views the rest of the world. Especially when our son started playing baseball and turned up on the field with a left handed glove! We didn't think about it. We just took him to get a glove and that was the assumed hand to try it on. You laugh? Trust me, it's done every day by right handed people to lefties. It's an assumption. And you know what that means without me going into detail.
If you've read this far, then you're actually interested in my right minded ramble. Yes, I did say right minded because as you know, the right side of our brain is dominant just as a righty's left side of the brain is dominant. Strange, I know. And to amuse you further, allow me to list a few adventures of the left handed world.
I don't do metric and I'm too old to learn! So, every time I want to measure something, that means I need to turn a measuring cup around, set it on the counter or hang it in midair and hope I get the measurement correct. Which, I'm thinking, has lead me to to be a 'toss it in to taste' kind of cook. Most of the dishes come out better that way in the long run anyway, just don't ask me for the recipe! Then to top it off, the spout on that measuring cup is always on the left to accommodate the right hand! It's comical in it's own right.
Watches! All watches are made to be worn on the left arm, but we as southpaws wear our watch on the right. Try putting your watch on the right arm, and then try to push the buttons or turn the little knob. Impossible!
How about that computer mouse. The frustration of a right handed mouse can only be measured by a left handed mouse to a righty. Thank goodness for the person who had sense enough to realize that the minority needed help in this area. Hence, primary function in the control panel to change sides.
Try driving a manual if you're left handed. Not impossible, but a feat within itself. At least here in America, we have the advantage of sitting on the left side of the car as the driver. I can't imagine ever trying to drive sitting on the right side and driving in the left lane. That would be far more than my southpaw mind could comprehend.
Playing cards. I don't even want to talk about this. I've tried to explain it to my son and daughter-in-law while we're playing cards about having to turn them upside down. They just stare at me like I'm totally senile. Why not just put the number in all four corners and be done with it?
Then there's scissors, spatulas, rulers, spiral notebooks, barrettes, pencil sharpeners, and tons of other little obstacles of life we lefties encounter.
Now that you've looked into the mirror image of a lefty, it's time to go back into the right handed world. Just remember a quote from 'The World's Greatest Left-Handers', “Left-handers are wired into the artistic half of the brain, which makes them imaginative, creative, surprising, ambiguous, exasperating, stubborn, emotional, witty, obsessive, infuriating, delightful, original, but never, never, dull.”
Always~
Cha
Case scenario. You've turned over a new leaf to fix your child healthy lunches to take to school rather than them shoveling in whatever is handed out in the cafeteria. Here they come, bounding down the stairs in anticipation, or not, of their first day. You're standing there with a big smile, handing out their lunches, and ready to load them up for the big drop off. Suddenly you hear it................
"Ewwwww, what's that?!" "Yuchhhh...MOM!" Words that can take a parent down to ground zero and make them feel that your loving endeavor is in vain. So much for the rest of the school year of you envisioning them licking their little chops with delight at the thought of your culinary efforts. At this point many parents give in to the televised demands that lure our children into thinking a certain brand of potato chips is just way too cool not to have.
So now what do you do? You dig your heels in and realize you're the one in authority here. Not the manufacture of the junk foods or your children, but you the parent. If not, then we will continue on our downhill slope to unhealthy children in this country. Anyone would have to be living under a rock not to realize that obesity and apathy run rampart among our American children, and we, the ones who buy the food, are the only ones who can do anything about it.
These days, there is no excuse for not eating healthy. That isn't to say one needs to be extreme and run out to the health food stores to do their grocery shopping. But little things such as changing from white bread to wheat makes a valuable difference in not only your child's health, but in teaching them what to choose as an adult. Children who grow up on white bread always seem to stick with that throughout their adult lives. I've observed this time and time again, and it's a very hard thing to get them to change this unhealthy habit. Taking just a bit of effort to shop at more than the 'everything under one roof' store can benefit you greatly. All types of wheat breads can be found at the local bread stores for quite a bit of savings rather than the high prices at the food market chains. Buy several loafs and freeze them to have on hand when making lunch for your child. A little hint to remember when buying bread. Don't fall for the 'wheat bread' label which only contains brown coloring to fool the consumer into thinking they're getting a whole wheat product. Take a few moments to read the product wrapper and make sure it says "100% whole wheat" or "whole grain". You need to be assured that you're getting the best product for your child and your money.
When my kid's were growing up, their lunches were always an adventure to friends sitting with them. No one was quite sure what they'd pull out of their lunchboxes, but more times than not, there was a trade involved. Now, on my children's part, I wasn't always pleased with this trading, however it did tell me something. While my children were at times willing to give up what they were accustomed to eating in trade for a novelty item, what was in their bag was appealing to others. So, the wrinkled noses of disapproval in the morning wasn't always the case when they saw that their friends liked it. I think it's just in a child's makeup to give us parents a hard time about eating healthy. But if you stick to your guns, it pays off in so many valuable ways.
Fun items, such as sandwiches cut out in odd shapes with homemade cheese fillings seemed to be a favorite trade when they were little. G.O.R.P. (good old raisins and peanuts) was another. While making the GORP, I was sure to toss in a tad of something unexpected. Like M&M's or Gummy Bears. I learned with kids, if you lighten up and do the unexpected with the little things, you keep their attention far longer in the big things. Another favorite was peanut butter sandwiched in cinnamon graham crackers. Not only is it a protein, but it makes it even more complete with the 6 gram of protein graham cracker. Again, shop around for the best product at the best value. Big Lots is a great place to pick up these items for decent prices.
Then there is the colder weather lunches like soups or spaghetti in a thermos. These two dishes are ideal to 'hide' what your children don't necessarily like, but you know is good for them. For instance, half whole wheat and half regular pasta in the spaghetti is very well hidden by the tomato sauce, and brown rice in the soup rather than white will taste even better, and they don't even know they're eating it! A few bread sticks or their favorite crackers, along with a container of cut up fruit and a surprise cookie makes a filling lunch. And you know you're providing them with something nutritional that will carry them through the afternoon's school work.
By the time they get home, our hooked-on-tech kids are hungry all over again with no real plan to work off the snacks they are about to devour. And chances are, they'll be heading to the pantry hoping for chips, soda, and empty calorie snacks which destroy all the good you did in that great packed lunch . Logic says don't let these 'junk snacks' be in the house, and you won't have to worry about your kids eating them. Sounds simple enough, but I know how easy is it to fall prey to these cheap 'fillers' at the grocery store when money and ideas are running out. There seems to be endless amounts of obstacle course displays making parents give in to their temptations. All those healthy and adorable smiles hanging on their product must mean they're good for us. After all, the FDA has approved them and made sure these foods are nutritional and free of anything that could harm our children. Hogwash! If you believe that, well you know about the ocean front property in Arizona.
In writing this, I do realize there are many parents who are working and absolutely worn out by the time they get everything done at the end of the day, and getting up in the mornings to be inventive with their child's lunch is the last thing they feel like doing. Bless your hearts. You simply feel like you don't have a choice in allowing your child to eat the cafeteria foods. It takes all you have just to get by with your time and money. My advice to you is to stay on your own level. Don't try to do something you cannot. Stay within your means and do what you can. If that means only making your child a lunch one or two days a week, then so be it. Better to do what you can, than to feel inadequate. Just make sure that lunch is the best you can do. Make it as natural and pure as your money allows. Then you'll know you've done the right thing within your capabilities. But there's more you can do that doesn't take much time or money. Pick up the phone and talk to your school Superintendent, the principle of the school your child attends, and other parents. Tell them you are concerned about what is being served locally in the school cafeterias to our children every day. Eric Schlosser's 'Fast Food Nation', explains how our government manages to serve a school lunch for less than a dollar per child. A dollar per child! This is a travesty that again, only the parents can demand a change in. And if enough get involved, it could be a major national movement on the part of parents rather than waiting for government funding.
So, in conclusion, and until your child's school redesigns their menus to include healthier foods, here's a few suggested lunch box and after school treats. Just remember, keep it simple and don't get radical in your changes. Sometimes just the presentation being different will make them smile, but stick to variations of foods you know your kids already like.
Sandwich Kabob
* bread
* cheese
* lunch meat (If you're a non-meat eater like me, sub seasonal fruit. It's unexpected and the kids love it!)
* grape tomatoes
* lettuce
* pickles
* olives (black or green)
Choose from the list above and cut in cubes. Slide the cubes onto a skewer with any other foods your child likes.
Wrap in foil (no more plastic!) and set out a side of mayo, salad dressing, or mustard for dipping.
Chickpea Nuggets
(Anyone who was appalled at Jamie Oliver's episode where he put chicken carcass into a blender and shaped it into chicken nuggets will welcome this recipe.)
* 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
* 1/2 onion
* Parsley (fresh is best, but if not, dried will do)
* 1 clove garlic
* 1 egg
* 1 tsp cumin (optional)
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 dash pepper
* 1 tsp lemon juice
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1 TBL olive oil
Mash drained beans into bowl using a pastry blender or fork. Place onion, parsley, and garlic in a food processor. Transfer to bowl with beans and blend. In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients. Mix with bean dip, and slowly pour in 1 cup bread crumbs, mixing enough bread crumbs until your dough just loses the 'stickiness'. Shape into 'chicken' nuggets and either bake or fry. Don't use too much oil in frying them, but enough to make them crunchy. My own preference is to place them in a cast iron pan with a small amount of olive oil. Dip in Sweet/Sour sauce, ketchup, or their favorite salad dressing.
Have a wonderful school year!
Always~
Cha
I don't know about you, but I've known people in my life who simply do not know how to give a compliment. Matter of fact, I can think of several I know right now who not only don't give any, they stand there like a knot on a log when someone compliments another standing right next to them. All the while, their expression is saying, "you gave them a compliment, now what about me?". I have to admit, that's hard for me to take. It's a pretty self centered person who does that, and one I personally need to allow a few years of growing up before they hear a compliment from me.
Southerners seem to be notorious in giving compliments. It's as easy as slappin' butter on grits for us. But are the compliments always taken as sincere? And if we have to be truthful about ourselves, are they always given in complete sincerity? Who hasn't witnessed a group of ladies gabbing as another female approaches the circle. Suddenly the flock is a flitter with giggles and smiles as the compliments fly. I take those with a grain of salt because I know Southern women just have to compare notes after the poor soul has walked away. Bless our hearts.
Those are more of a surface compliment, but I'm talking about taking the time to notice someone who really needs one. Catching someone unaware is the best time, in my opinion, to do just that. When their head is down and they're thinking about how hard life is, that's the time they need encouragement. In that given moment is the opportunity to brighten someone's day.
Since being back at the gym for a couple of years, I've seen men and women both drift in who have decided to do something about their weight and overall health. Now those are some people who can use some encouragement. So I watch, and give them a few weeks. Then, while they're walking around the track and inconspicuously trying to look at themselves in the mega mirrors which are everywhere you turn, I lay a compliment on them. Not just one that's off the wall, but one that says I've noticed the effort they're making. And I have to say, I really do mean it, simply because I know what an effort it is just to get down there! Plus, when someone is trying, they stand taller, their stride is better, and they have a determination that cannot be faulted. It doesn't matter if they've lost two pounds or twenty, it's the effort that counts. Once they realize someone has just given them a compliment, their face brightens and they receive it graciously because they know themselves how hard they're trying. It's just nice that someone else has noticed.
So, from now on, let's try to see the people around us who need a compliment. Really, we never know the kind of day a person is having. By speaking encouragement into their lives, we may be helping them far more than we realize. If each of us committed to giving at least one compliment a day to a loved one, acquaintance, or even a stranger, think how much kinder this old world could be. Taking our eyes off of self for just a bit and giving wholeheartedly to another will do us all good. And guess what? It's still one of the few things that's free!
Always~
Cha
Since I have bared my soul to the world with the confession that I'm a reforming clutter bug, I feel it's only right that you be excited with me as I move toward perfection. That is, perfection in others eyes. Actually, I'm satisfied with the way I am, but those whom I hold close feel I will benefit greatly if only I would get organized. They simply don't understand the fact that I know where everything is 90% of the time. Ok, 80% now that I've gotten older. But that's only because someone rocked the boat and moved an item from where I laid it down to where they think it should go.
My latest victory involves going deeper into the confession of 'clutter bugging'. And if I was a betting woman, I'd lay money down that I'm not the only one who does this. One of my bad habits is opening a new container before the last little bit of the old one is gone. Not so much in the kitchen, but in the bath. I have loads of lotion bottles and body spritzers which lay claim to my intolerable habit. My seemingly lifelong intention has been to put the entire content of each of those bottles into one larger container. Well, guess what. I finally began my mission. I have to say, I'm thoroughly enjoying this. It's almost like a mini-perfumery as the different aromas mingle together. Bath and Body, Victoria's Secret, Dollar Store, Estee' Lauder, Basics, Mary Kay, Suave, you name it. Each fragrance trying to outdo the other in a most non-subtle way. I'm not one for heavy scents. In fact, I don't even wear a perfume, so I may have to purchase some unscented lotion to dilute the blend just so the scents aren't so heady.
I'm on day three of my slowly dripping container to container mission. And thus far, I have a total of two 18 ounce bottles that are completely full. My bathroom closet is looking rather sparse at the moment, but to a reforming clutter bug, how exhilarating is that? The large baskets which held all these lotions are now empty and the containers are washed out and in the recycle bin. That recycle truck should be smelling pretty good for at least a week! The poor driver is bound to get ribbed by his fellow workers.
But, I'm excited. This is going to inspire me on to a new level where anything is possible. At least in my little world to reform and get rid of things I no longer use. Wait till my family sees this!
Daughter...be proud. Son....be amazed. Husband........has fainted!
Since we have made an agreed effort to cut back on frivolousness before we actually need to, our cable now offers only twelve channels. And because a third of them are prime time, they leave a lot to be desired. So, we have found ourselves watching, if only in part, shows we would not otherwise view. Shows which have been tagged as "Reality".
This past Monday night, while my husband had found a 'guy movie' on CW, and having finished the novel I was reading, I decided to check in to see who Ali, the latest Bachlorette, had done away with. In the process of eliminating all but four, she was sitting down with a parent of one of the remaining contestants. The father asked Ali, "what are your dreams, your life goals?".
Now, this man seemed to put his family first and reaped a beautiful relationship with all of them because of it. So, I'm thinking he anticipated Ali to want the same for his son and herself. I watched his face slowly fall as she excitedly told him, "Well, my job is my dream! I want to have my own business and be at the very top of my field!". "But Ali", the father continued, "my son wants the very same thing. What are you willing to sacrifice from your dream in order for the two of you to raise children together and have a happy marriage?". Ali winced and said, "I just feel if we both are able to fulfill our own dreams, everything will work out and everyone will be happy!" She avoided the question altogether, and I dare say, by the father's question, the son would most likely do the same.
Reality? Au contraire! As my husband said, "They need to rename those shows 'Unreality'!" How true! I've not watched all of these Bachelor/Bachelorette shows, but the ones I've seen appear to have a 'winner takes all' mentality. What does that have to do with a commitment to marriage?
If I'm correct, all but one couple have gone their separate ways after the flame of televised romance dies out. And when the music comes to a halt, center stage is no longer there, and the outlandish accommodations of world-wide trips are gone, what's left? Reality. A real person and all their baggage standing before one another with the the same questions looking back at them. Gone are the unrealistic settings which make a young heart feel it will be that way forever. What enters is one more attempt at a successful relationship based on entertaining the public. Unless one has a very determined heart, and willing to set aside a part of their individual desires, I don't see much future in such a setting.
It would be nice to imagine the final episode containing a beautiful young couple with equal dreams for a successful marriage, and a willingness to work together to achieve their goals. But there is a part of me which suspects we'll be seeing the latest couple on the cover of one of those magazines that our eyes catch while waiting in the grocery line. All the blame and reasons they just couldn't make it as a couple revealed for, once again, the entertainment of the public. I hope it's worth it to them. This big chunk of themselves they've allowed to be opened for all to see.
Of course I hope it works for them. After all, many a young girl's heart is just waiting for the same fairy tale to happen to them as they watch this 'unrealistic courtship' take place. But maybe it's a good thing they see that televised romance doesn't work. If nothing else, it's a tool for a very wise parent to step in with all the reasons not to expect the same.
So, we shall see what the conclusion is in the next couple of weeks. Be aware of the stars which will be in the eyes of the young followers as they innocently build their expectations off of Ali's choice. Then again, at least it's not as unrealistic as falling in love with a vampire! But that's another story.
Always~
Cha
Whenever my husband and I go to New Orleans, we've always stayed in the Garden District, but never in a 'room with a view'. That is to say, a balcony room overlooking the Quarter. Well this time, we made a special point to do just that, and I can't wait!
Built around 1833, the Hotel Villa Convento is rumored to be the 'House of the Rising Sun', and is supposedly haunted. It was also known at one time as a rooming house called 'The Old Town Villa' where artist such as Jimmy Buffet spent his early life in New Orleans. Sounds interesting, but what I'm looking forward to more than that is the fact it sits right across the street from a French bakery! I know, not so grand of a fact, but can you imagine leisurely waking up to the smell of freshly baked pastry knowing all you have to do is walk a few steps to enjoy it? That, and a couple o' cups of Creole java for breakfast on the balcony should keep us going until we find a hidden cafe' to enjoy a cool lunch. We aren't the type to find the fanciest place to dine, but would so much rather find somewhere unique and obscure. One of those 'you'll know it when you see it' kind of places. Then, when we're out, we'll pick up some cheeses from the corner market with some olives, crusty bread, and a special bottle of wine to take back for a candlelit evening on the balcony.
I'm also looking forward to strolling down to the French Market to find the perfect set of wind chimes to add to my collection. There is a certain plum tree right off our patio where I hang them all. Even when a slight breeze blows through the trees, it sounds like an orchestrated symphony perfectly synchronized. And on a cold winter day when everything is quiet, their chimes bring the warmth of a summer day to mind. I'm not sure when my love for wind chimes started, but it seems they've been in my life forever.
It may not seem like much of a vacation to most, and it's sure not as far from home as some are traveling, but to the two of us, it's a mini getaway that we are very much looking forward to. And isn't that all one needs to come home refreshed and ready to dig in again? Laissez les bons temps rouler!
Always~
Cha
