A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

The everyday kindness of the back roads more than makes up for the acts of greed in the headlines.

Charles Kuralt

1934-1997

WHEW!

I've been stewing about something for awhile now and have decided that I just need to get it off my chest.  There's this new study out that has me so angry.  It purports that having overweight friends can make you fat.  (http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diet/story?id=3413751&page=1)   Not only is that the dumbest thing I've ever heard, but that people are accepting it as fact is preposterous! 

There are two things that strike me here.  First: when are we as a nation/people going to take responsibility for our own actions?  We can't keep blaming whatever our deficits are on others.  If I am a jerk, is it because my neighbor across the street is one?  If I'm a bigoted idiot do I blame it on my boss at work?  NO--it's because I have made decisions/choices in my life that have led me to this place.  Same thing with weight or whatever. 

I have several friends who are slim while I am overweight.  I would hate to think that they would read this study and decide that they won't remain friends with me in case I make them fat.  We're all responsible for what we eat, think, do and say.  It is no one elses chore.  And if I eat with my friends, and I choose to overeat, then that is their choice to either follow my lead or not.

The second thing is that I am so sick and tired of is fat-bashing being the last acceptable prejudice.  If this study had said that hanging with a gay person would make you gay the ACLU would be up in arms.  Or if you were friends with a different race that you would emulate that race.... whatever.  But this is not only allowed, it is taken as something to keep in mind in choosing your friends.  Shamless.

I have had people refuse to sit next to me, or to be in the same area as I am already.  People who think nothing of commenting to me in the grocery store about my purchases or my weight.  I try hard to remember that it is not the size of my body that will get me to Heaven, but the size of my heart.  The Lord is not going to say "Yikes, you're a size 20 go away."  But perhaps if our heart is a measly size 2 we might have a problem. 

So, let's all strive to have bigger hearts and not worry so much about the bodies.  They don't matter except to the person who is living in it.  We all want to be loved and accepted for who we are and to live our lives to the best of our abilities. 

And I for one plan on living my life the best I can and to love my family and friends until my heart is at least an XXXL!

Another Family Favorite

Glazed Chicken Wings

¼ cup oil
¼ cup ketchup
¼ cup lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 lbs. chicken wings
Salt and Pepper

In saucepan, combine oil, ketchup, juice and sauce. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Sprinkle chicken in baking pan with salt and pepper, and pour on sauce. Bake at 350º for 30-40 minutes. Turn chicken frequently. Serves 6.


(Note: I wound up baking it for an hour, and thought they were a little bit better with the extra cooking time.)

Reaching Out

I heard something tonight that I found rather heartbreaking.  That is that first time users at the food bank have spiked 41%.  That's a lot.  Here we are living in such a blessed and wonderful country, and so many are having trouble feeding their families.  I know that for many of us we are just a paycheck away from being on the street, but there must be something we can do.

One of the things my family has tried to do is to come up with $10 a month and use it to purchase food to donate to the food bank.  I know, there are times when coming up with that measly little $10 is pretty hard, but if you can I know it makes a huge difference.  There is a store in our neighborhood that has cereal for 99 cents a box.  We purchased ten boxes one month and took them over.  Less than $10 can buy a case of canned vegetables at Costco or Sam's Club.  When soup goes on sale for $1 a can, we buy ten and donate that.  It's really pretty easy.

I know first hand how it feels to receive that kind of help to care for your family.  A few years ago I went through heart surgery, followed by two kidney surgeries.  Seven months later my husband had emergency eye surgery.  Even with insurance the medical bills piled up.  And when my husband was out on disability our bills weren't met by the disability checks.  We received food assistance through our church which literally saved us.  We wouldn't have made it without that help.

This is the season to count our blessings and reach out to those in need.  Pick up a box of Stove Top at the store, or a couple of cans of beans or cranberry sauce.  Stop by the food bank and drop it off.  It will make you feel good, and you'll help to lighten one family's burden.  Believe me, I know.

Oh, My (Chocolatey) Goodness!

Okay, so here's my tried and true Halloween rule:  Buy candy to give out that I do not like. 

That's it!  Easy peasy, right?  But this year my sweet husband bought two, yes two, large bags at Costco of candy that  I like.  I usually get stuff like gum or suckers, which don't really matter, at least to me.  But Stan, whom I love so much, bought chocolate.  My friends know that chocolate is one of my downfalls.  He got Hershey bars, Milky Ways, Snickers, Reese's PB Cups, and plain and peanut M&Ms. 

That would have been fine, I suppose, had we the number of kids come trick-or-treating that warranted two Costco bags of such candy, but we did not. 

Now, the sensible thing to do would be to have Stan and AJ take it to work with them and let their co-workers have at it.  But the thought makes me feel, I don't know, traiterous!  Like I would be betraying the lovely chocolate by giving it to those who don't have it's best interests at heart like I do.

I think I need therapy.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

It's simple: When you haven't forgiven those who've hurt you, you turn your back against your future. When you do forgive, you start walking forward.

Tyler Perry, who forgave his abusive father,

and works the theme of forgiveness

into every play and movie he writes.

My Nephew Got Married!

My nephew Eric, who is my sister Cheryl's youngest son, got married in September.  Sadly, we weren't able to be there.  My Dad finally sent me some photos of the big day, and it looks like it was a lot of fun!

Here are the happy couple.  Cheryl's husband Don built the arch they're standing under.  (The man on the right is the Bishop who married them.)

This is my sister Cheryl.  I think she looks so pretty in her lovely blue dress and pearls.  She looks very "Mother of the Groom" to me too.  And now, it's one down, one to go!  My nephew Neal gets married next summer. 

I like this picture. My nephew Eric looks so happy! His cute wife Amber looks like she's happy too. After all the work and preparation, this was a good day for everyone, I'm sure!

A HALLOWEEN TRADITION

I got this recipe one year early in my marriage.  We had it for dinner at a Homemaking Night one Halloween, and it was so good I made it for our "holiday" dinner and it's been a tradition ever since.  Just the smell of it bubbling in the cauldron lets me know that the spooks and goblins are on their way!

TACO SOUP

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can chili beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn, drained

1 can beef broth (or use water and boullion cubes if you have on hand)

2 cups water

1 envelope taco seasoning

Garnishments: corn chips, shredded cheese, sour cream

Brown ground beef and onion until fully cooked.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then turn down immediately and let simmer for about 45 minutes.

To serve, put handful of corn chips in bottom of bowl.  Ladle soup into bowl on top of chips.  Top with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  Put extra corn chips on table to accompany.

The great thing about this recipe is it's easy to double, or triple, as needs be.  It's yummy!

Enjoy Life!

Ooooops!

I have a question .... what do you do when you make a biggo mistake in front of your kids? 

We splurged today and took the boys out for Chinese food for lunch.  Kevin got a fortune cookie that said that if he wanted to feel good he should make a donation to the chef.  When he read it to me I scoffed and said, "Selfish bastard!"  without even thinking. 

Oh my gosh, Kevin thought that was so funny and kept repeating it.  I tried to tell him it wasn't very nice and I was sorry I said it, but like the saying goes, you can't unring a bell.

How do you handle a flub like that?