You Know You Are a Scrooge...

by annonymous:
If your only contact with three spirits on Christmas Eve is gin, vodka and bourbon -- you just might be a Scrooge

If you turn on the lawn sprinklers on Christmas Eve to keep carolers away -- you just might be a Scrooge

If you buy all of your Christmas gifts at a store that also sells gas -- you just might be a Scrooge

If you get your Christmas Tree at a rest stop at night -- you just might be a Scrooge

If you give bathroom fixtures as Christmas gifts -- you just might be a Scrooge

If your favorite Christmas movie is Jurassic Park - you just might be a Scrooge

If your idea of Christmas dinner is a six pack of beer and a cheese log - you just might be a Scrooge

If you think "Ho, Ho, Ho" is a line from a Rocky movie -- you just might be a Scrooge

If your favorite pastime is putting defective bulbs in your neighbors' string of Christmas lights or defacing Christmas lawn characters with eggnog - you just might be a Scrooge

If your only holiday decoration is a rotting pumpkin - you just might be a Scrooge

Snow Day!!!!!!

The kids and I are home for our first snow day, and I know this will be a pain in May, but for now, this is bliss.  The housework is finished, so I have a few hours to just be lazy, and I can really do lazy.  In fact, I think I have it down as an art form.  I have Christmas music playing, snow falling, and hot chocolate with whipped cream and peppermint.  Ahhhhhhh.

Well the kiddies are drinking chocolate, but I have a cup of Russian Tea, and it is my favorite winter time treat.  I had an email yesterday asking for the recipe, so I am going to give two.  One is for you who prefer to steep your own tea.  The other is a mix I make and store in an airtight container. 
Russian Spice Tea : 

Instant Russian Tea :  I use this one, but I did change it a little.   I cut back on the tang by 1/8 cup and added 1/8 cup of instant lemonade.  I also like to use the mix as last minute gifts during the holiday season.  Take a dollar store basket and fix it with a mason jar with pancake mix, assorted syrups, and Russian tea.  Yummy. 

Apple Puff Pancake and More

Every other week in the summer, I fix my daughter a puff pancake with fresh berries. I use my cast iron skillet,and we shimmer organic raw sugar over the berries when finished to give it a little extra sweetness, plus I prefer the texture. Well, last night, as the snow fell, I kept coming back to the puff pancake for Sunday breakfast, but alas, no berries. My eyes caught the bag of green apples and the things that make me go mmmmmmmmmm.

Being the good Appalachian girl I am, I always have apples on hand. I have been known to open a can of cooked apples for what we call "fried apples", but my kids and I like it better when I simmer butter, sugar, and green apples. In the winter, I often add cranberries and serve it over pancakes. Well, the question loomed, "How can I mix the two?"

My experiment began like this: Basic Puff Pancake recipe from Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Women, page 42.
2 Tablespoons of butter melted in a glass 9 inch pan
3 eggs or 6 egg whites
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup fat free milk
1/4 tsp. salt

Whisk eggs and then beat in the rest of the ingredients until mixed. I added a sprinkle of vanilla on a whim. Do not over beat. Bake at 400 for 30 minutes.

I took the basic recipe and layered green apples in the batter. Sprinkled sugar and cinnamon on the top.

 The results were delicious.  The pancake was not too sweet, and the apples were not too soft.  This isn't a pie at all.  The tartness of the apples was the perfect addition to the batter, and I will be making this again in the future for sure!

My Chicken Taco Soup: Good for the lazy cook, Like Me

Ingredients:
1 lb. cubed cooked chicken breast
1 packet of taco seasoning
4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
1 can of sweet corn
1 jar of salsa ( I prefer Herdez mild salsa)
1 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni

Bring seasoning, broth, and water to a boil. Add chicken and salsa and reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes. Add corn and macaroni and simmer for additional ten minutes or until macaroni is tender. Garnish with nacho chips, cheese, and sour cream if you wish.

We are in the midst of our first snow, and this was a big hit with Thing One and Thing Two (my children). I also broke out the bread machine for the first time this winter. Ah, soup, bread, and Russian Tea while watching The Thin Man. A perfect recipe for a snowy Saturday night.

Unless You Are Sookie...

You cannot read my mind. Nope, it is something you will never manage, and on the plus side, I will never read yours. Wow, that is wonderful. I really have no desire to know what you truly thought about this or that, no more than you should know about my obsession with Tom Brokaw. Ooops, I guess I let that one out of the bag, but doesn't it make sense. I guess if I want to you know about me and what I need, then I will have to let a few things out of the bag.

People everyday scream and shout to be heard, blogs, message boards, Facebook. They crave and desire attention not being found in the reality. Hey, I am not judging; thus, my own blogs, message boards, and Facebook. We all need to be heard, and we all need acceptance. Basic human instinct. My problem is how we get this attention. My feelings were hurt this week because my significant other didn't respond as I wanted. Was he being insensitive or inattentive? No, he just didn't see the significance of it in my own life. He lives three hours from me, and he wasn't there to see how depressed I really was. So, when he didn't call but rather texted a good night, my feelings were hurt, even though I knew he wasn't feeling well himself. I had a great pity party and pouted the rest of the night. Boy, that showed him. Why didn't I text that I needed more? Why didn't I tell him I was hurting? Why didn't I call? Because I assumed he knew and understood. My mistake. He knew I went to a cousin's funeral, and I was sad. He checked on me through the day via texts. He said he wished he could have been with me. He even texted my daughter with support, but he didn't know how much it affected me. He didn't see my tears. I didn't cry to him. He didn't know how much I loved my cousin because I didn't share it. I justified my actions by saying I didn't want to be a bother.
That, my friends, is poppycock. If I expect him to be a partner then I need to let him in completely. I don't need to be angry over imagines wrongs because even though I am worth the bother I shouldn't be arrogant enough to expect more than he can give. Nobody should just sense how I feel. I shouldn't assume how others should act and react to me. That isn't open communication; it is manipulation. It has potential to be toxic. If I choose to mention what I am wanting, and my needs are stil not being then I will need to examin the big picture.
The attitude adjustment needs to shine in all my relationships. To be honest, my tween doesn't have the insight to respond as an adult, and I shouldn't expect her. I need to realisticly look to the people in my life and treat them realistically.
Last night, on chance, we had a rather open discussion on communication. He ex would call him insensitive, but in reality, he was clueless about her expectations. He asked me to tell him when I need to talk and be honest about how I feel so he can gage his own actions. I, in turn, agreed. Maybe, just maybe, he is on to something. Must have read my mind.

The Dance

I haven't posted in a very long time because, to be honest, I didn't have much to say. Oh, many things were happening, but as Mary in the Bible, I just pondered it in my heart. Sometimes you have to retreat to learn more about yourself. This week brought me out of my hiatus. I have experienced love. I have experienced pain, and I have experienced loss. Tuesday we will bury one of my favorite cousins. He has suffered so long, and it is always difficult to say goodbye, but I have been blessed to know him. Larger than life he was.

garth brooks - the dance
- Watch more Music Videos at Vodpod.

Simply the Best

Okay, she is happy. Since her husband left her, she has lost weight and is wearing jeans she hasn't had on in five years. Five years ago, they were also separated. Her soon to be ex is wondering why she didn't care during their time together. He is also losing weight. He is feeling better about himself. I did the same when I was separated from my ex. To be honest, I became frumpy during the last few months of our marriage. My entire being was lost within a haze. Why? Why do we get motivated by loss and depression? Why do we become complacent during the times of comfort? Isn't that when we should be at our best?

Now, I am being healthier, and yes, I am doing it for me, but I would be a liar if I said that other people noticing is nothing to me. Wait, let me even try to say that with a straight face...nope, can't do it. If you are looking for false modesty, come back some other time. I like positive attention. In receiving this positive attention, I have done some reflection, and I noticed a simple fact about myself; I am at my best when surrounded by healthy relationships. Boy, that was ground breaking. When I am with happy, healthy people, I want to be happy and healthy. I want to be my best for those I love. The question is why do we slack with time? Is it because we develop the attitudes of "I have my man" or "love me for who I am"? Yes, we need unconditional love as is, but did I hide behind it as an excuse? Is it we forget to challenge ourselves when other people are demanding our time and effort. When do we stop loving ourselves in trying to love others? How can we keep this happening? I wish I knew.

I just know that there have been people unworthy of my best, and that wasn't their fault or mine. I just invested too much time in the lost. I am now taking care of myself for me and my children, and yes, we are worthy. If and when I fall in love, it will be with somebody who is worthy, AND I will give that person my best because we both deserve it. If a relationship brings me down, then that is not the healthy relationship I am needing. This extends to lovers, friends, and community. I deserve to be me at full speed.