Amen!

Couldn't have said it better myself. (I just HAD to make a football post.)

K.C.

Eight years ago our beloved cat Shadow was very ill and had to leave us. Hubs did not want another cat as he was understandably grieving. A week or two later, our vet called. "Come down here! Right now!" (We don't live far away.)

She had a little ball of grey fluff in a holding cage, meowing away. Cutest thing ever. I shoulda known the vet was snookering us into another cat. I took him home and he mouthed off the whole way. Doc said "if hubs isn't ready, you can bring him right back, I saved him for you from the litter because I thought he was the coolest and had the most personality."

Well, maybe that was schmoozing, and maybe not, but K.C. (hub's great name, obviously short for "Kitty Cat") has been my pal ever since.

Good ideas...

Good non-crochet related ideas for a happier new year from the Crochet Dude...

Not reality...

The other day I was waiting for kiddo (seems like we have an eight year pattern going on there ;-P) and a couple were seated next to me. He had stylish glasses, trendy shoes, comfortable-wealthy outfit. She had logo clothes, styled hair, etc. I was feeling more than a little out of place. Such is life when the things kiddo needs aren't available on our side of town (normal!) and we have to go to the pricier side of town, the side of town where I'd be if I wasn't shelling out major bucks to pay for someone else's kid's education and basic needs.

The woman looked stressed and said "I'm going to have to put the kids in after care tomorrow because of work and I hate that". The kids looked to be preteens. The man, almost chuckling with his lack of concern for her financial contribution to the family, said "well, why don't you quit your job if you feel that way?" He didn't look concerned in the least and seemed to be almost ridiculing her for thinking her (little?) income was needed.

I thought, "that is NOT reality where I am."

Because of kiddo I drive through very expensive neighborhoods every day, day after day, and it's hard sometimes. And I'm embarrassed and ashamed of myself that it is hard. I should have left that all behind in my pursuit of Christ, but I'll admit it, I am human and those who know me would have no doubt of that fact.

But you know what?

Where I live isn't reality either. Lots of people in our country, and way more in other countries, live in far worse conditions.

None of this on this earth is reality, in the grand scheme of things. The scene in the first installment of "The Matrix" reminded me quite clearly. The character arises out of the "pod" that they have lived in all their lives, thinking that real life was occuring around them, when they finally realized that all in the "pod" was just an illusion.

That's a good thing. I can't imagine dealing with the crap in this world ad infinitum. Trusting that things will eventually be set right is important when life is swirling darkly around us many times.

What's it mean when your moniker's "meaning" is more accurate than your given name? ;-)

What Nashbabe Means

You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are full of energy. You are spirited and boisterous. You are bold and daring. You are willing to do some pretty outrageous things. Your high energy sometimes gets you in trouble. You can have a pretty bad temper at times. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

I've been re-reading "The Glass Castle." It's a memoir of a girl who grew up not only in abject poverty, but with highly eccentric and neglectful parents. This book hits too close to home sometimes in terms of the extreme levels of infantile and narcissistic behavior by the parents, who often blame the kids for keeping them from living their dreams, all the while not even providing the basics of adequate shelter and clothing because the parents rarely if ever work and refuse all charity to boot.

In all difficult situations there are some aspects that add to one's strength as a human being (that is, if you don't succumb to the extreme despair that would have been totally understandable in the writer's situation).

At one point in the book the children (largely left to themselves to scavenge for food from garbage pails and to conveniently show up at friend's homes around dinner in order to get at least one meal per day) find what looks like a real diamond ring under the cinder block foundation of their house. Their mother takes the ring to an appraiser and finds that the ring is, indeed, a two carat ring worth what to them would be a small fortune. The kids know full well that because of the ne'er-do-well antics of their alcoholic father, and the refusal of their mother to get a job (even though she has a teaching degree and there is a teaching shortage in their county) that their parents are far behind in rent payments, that they're tired of eating popcorn for dinner at best, and that their is no heat or electricity in their run-down shack.

The children are ecstatic when the mother returns with the news, thinking that now the bills will be paid and they might even get a pair of sneakers out of the deal. But the mother announces "I'm not selling the ring. It will give me self-esteem to wear it, and self-esteem is more important than food."

For the sake of discussion on a public blog, I can't get into details, but I know a story along those lines...and it's just as true.

Will knowing this pain make me stronger, or just angrier? I hope it's the former.

Apple Cinnamon Deep Dish Pancake

This was our breakfast. Hubs liked it a lot which was nice. Here are some notes about the recipe:

Check it carefully and bake it until set. I had to bake it longer than the recipe suggested, but your mileage may vary. At the end, I baked it for a little while with the foil off.

It's listed as a winner of a "Cooking Light" magazine contest. This must be because of all the apples. That gives a moist texture.

This would probably be very nice baked in a similar size cast iron skillet. That's what I'm going to try next time.

I used soy milk instead of regular milk, and you can use six egg whites if you want to further reduce the fat/cholesterol content.

I used turbinado type sugar for the topping which worked just fine.

I'll bet that a combination of apples and raisins or apples and cranberries would be nice as well.

If you don't use Bob's Red Mill for your kitchen extravaganza on this one, use a pancake or waffle mix, my suggestion would be something other than bisquick because the mix has ten grains, dry milk, and leavening and doesn't have the shortening like a Bisquick would use.

For a brunch this would be nice, but I think you'll want a couple portions rather than just one! :-)

Whole Grain Power Bar

This was my attempt to make some breakfast food that hubs will eat as he dashes out the door, which is pretty common. The other goal was to by and large make something where I didn't have to buy anything from the store, to save money.

Made these with the recipe over at Bob's Red Mill. My hubby won't eat coconut to save his soul, though, so usually with a breakfast bar type recipe you can substitute an equal amount of oatmeal and get away with it. I used the old fashioned oats instead because it has more fiber.

Usually you can substitute different kinds of nuts in these things and get away with it. I had walnuts and pecans, so that's what we ended up with instead.

What the heck did I have quinoa in the house for? I had bought a little at Wild Oats which sadly will be swallowed up by the Whole Foods monolith. I don't mind Whole Foods entirely (although I hear people call them "Whole Paycheck", but they're further and further away from the food and more and more into the glitz, IMHO. Their bulk food section, which I always liked, is shrinking rapidly and the "shoppertainment" seems to be all the buzz. Kind of scary really. Hope someone else comes in and fills the void. Even a Trader Joe's would be SO lovely in Nashvegas.

Hubs is NOT into cranberries, but there are many other dried fruits you can substitute. Obviously the easiest substitution is raisins.

I had been warned to RINSE YOUR QUINOA before cooking, and I obediently followed directions. It's so small though, how does one rinse it in a colander? Well, I couldn't make that option work, kids, that's all I'll say. ;-)

My hubs keeps protein powder in the house to make shakes, so that was pretty easy. It is also available at major supermarkets now with no problems.

Lots of protein to keep you going for the morning...

Magna Carta of Trust

Hard to believe this has been around for ten years, but I guess it has. Worth revisiting...

Parent job description :-)

There is an autistic young man at kiddo's school. He is somewhat engaged with the world and from what little I have seen him he seems like a likeable young man. Whenever he sees me in the hall, he pretty much always says "who's mom you are?" Yes, that's the syntax, yep, as accurately as I can record it. I always say "I'm kiddo's friend, not his mom" or "I'm the mom to three cats, and the friend of kiddo." The autistic guy has no reason to know better; he's never seen kiddo's mom at school and probably will never see her. After all, she doesn't even know how to get to kiddo's school without my getting her directions...arrgh.

But I AM a parent, and so is hubs. We have poured thousands upon thousands of hours into kiddo, and at least six figures worth of money to educate and care for this precious cargo God put on our doorstep eight years ago.

So I think we qualify for this job description. If you are a parent, or just play one on TV like we do, you should read this. God appreciates what you do, even if you feel kind of ignored or unappreciated at times. Remember that, okay? :-)

Not self hypnosis

Just a challenge to me and to everyone. I have been suggesting to kiddo that they think of three good things that happened to them today (or any day). Kiddo has a helluva lot of pain from their life, but things to be joyful about as well. This isn't an attempt for any of us to ignore the very real problems and seemingly insurmountable obstacles put before us at present, but to recognize and acknowledge the good things that are happening too.

Three good things:

1. hubs fixed the garage door, and very promptly
2. after kiddo works out hard, the brain chemicals are such that they are very nice to talk with for about twenty or thirty minutes...I cherish that time. (then right back into the abyss, but I know it and recognize the pattern, at least)
3. cheese bread with garlic is really yummmy on homemade wheat bread in the new toaster oven!

I dare ya...think of three good things about today. Bet you can! :-)

A variation on the meatball recipe

In the paper today, I saw a variation on the meatball/grape jelly/chili sauce recipe.

They used cranberry sauce. I would guess you might want to use the jelled kind rather than the whole berry, unless you want chunks of cranberries floating around in the sauce.

They also added a dash of cumin to it.

Sounds pretty good to me...we'll have to try it for the next potluck. And on a totally unrelated note, pad thai is calling...it's been a long while since I've made any. Perhaps I'll go searching for new pad thai recipes, but the New York Times one has served me well for a long time. Just so darned easy.