Truthfully there are many holidays but personally Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite. Believe it or not it is not just because of all the amazing food. I love spending hours looking for at least one new recipe to spring on the family. Usually it turns out the simplest ones (or is that the ones with chocolate??) are often the favorite ones.
For instance if you are looking for a really really quick recipe that is gone in seconds buy Oreo cookies ... put about 30 in a food processor crush up then add one package of cream cheese ... dip in melted chocolate and let cool .. yep that is it. I know it sounds to simple to be good but trust me they are simple and incredibly yummy. Now don't be afraid to experiment, go ahead experiment with the flavored cream cheese or the flavored Oreo cookies. There is really not a way to mess these up.
Now back to why I love Thanksgiving, I love disappearing into the kitchen and making this huge meal (yes I used the word huge) and sitting down as a family, bowing our heads, and giving thanks to the Lord for making it all possible. It is a holiday that the biggest thing someone might ask for is for deviled eggs or pumpkin pie. No one is sitting there wanting a present or wanting candy, they actually only want to sit down as a family and eat way too much food. I love that about Thanksgiving that the only pressure on me is 'will the turkey is juicy' (trust me use a brine and this will never ever be a problem).
Some people think Thanksgiving is some sort of homage to the Indians and the Pilgrims and a supper or cooperation that they shared. Not to me ... I take the THANKS part of that to remember to be thankful for the blessing that we have. All of them great and small. The GIVING part is to remember that it is better to give than to receive. This is a the time of the year to concentrate on what all we have been given and trust me if you think about it can there be any greater gift than our salvation. Keep that in mind this Thursday. Bow your heads and say grace from your heart and hold onto your family, your friends, and all those you hold dear.
hmm now what fun thing should I do with sweet potatoes or maybe I should look for a new biscuit recipe, so many recipes so little time. What is your favorite dish?
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
If life were like a movie ... the lies we could avoid
Every good movie (obviously not counting the old picture movies without sound) has a sound track that helps the audience "prepare" for the scene. Scary movies like to speed up and slow down during the suspense and the famous chase scene. Can anyone truly forget the the sound track to jaws? The romantic movies like to give us the perfect love song so we know that the main character has found their soul mate and the good drama or thriller loves to give us a hint, through the magic of tempo, that something worth noting is about to happen. Where am I going with all this? Good question my brain can come up with some strange ideas.
I have lived long enough that I have been lied to, miss treated, and had a few bad relationships. I have also witnessed quite a few friends and family members who just so happened to be unfortunate enough to fall for their fair share of deceit and end up (at least temporarily) with that one person who brings out the worst in them. If you have managed to live to the age of even 20 you know exactly what I am talking about. Truthfully I wonder if somehow all of the heartache could of been avoided if only there was background music floating around that would cue us in on if we were getting ready to embark on a thriller horror filled time if we did not run in the opposite direction of Mr. or Mrs. Wrong. The scary thing is that I hate to say it but (insert sigh) I am ashamed at some of women I have known and just exactly how manipulative and borderline crazy they were and most likely still are. I know we do not want to admit it but I would be lying if I said I was not worried about the way women can be.
I have two sons that I feel I need to prepare for the lies that they may someday face .. especially since I have been unsuccessful at finding a way to add background music to the picture of their life. First, so I can bring you up to speed at what triggered this rather long rant, let me share a link with you.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Now that you read that lovely little story. Let me tell you that I have seen this in women much younger than late 30's or early 40's. Sad but true. I have heard some really wild stories in my life .. I worked in an OBGYN office so I was amazed at the stories of conception. (Even more amazed at how freely and sometimes proudly women shared them). Let me make a quick list of some really good whoppers ...
1. She said she couldn't get pregnant because she was on the pill ... shot... or any one of the normally 99.9 % methods of birth control methods. Guys really??? if you are not there or watching the pill or the shot being administered assume this is a lie or a trap.
2. I can't get pregnant .... Okay another classic line... unless you see the surgical scars and the surgical report showing that the uterus is gone ... assume that this is probably not the complete truth.
3. You can only get pregnant on day 14 of your cycle .. it's okay you don't have to wear a condemn. Try not to laugh I have really heard that one.
4. I am infertile. I love this one because here is a news flash guys .. most physicians do NOT even think of doing infertility testing unless someone has been actively trying to get pregnant unsuccessfully for at least a year ... um so who has she been trying with??
5. I am allergic to condemns. Okay they maybe but great news if it is a latex allergy they make them from non latex as well .. so show her you care and are listening and pay the extra. If they STILL don't want to .. um then you may be slapped with a paternity suit in the next year.
6. She has her own condoms. Why is this one a flag .. yep guys the famous pin hole in the condom trick is real. Sad but true.
7. The article was not lying, there is the seduce him trick and try to make him a bumbling fool. Yes you can wake a man up and umm get to work before they are fully awake. I know sounds nuts but I have heard it before.
8. I am on my period and it is impossible to get pregnant. Again guys .. really?? Do not fall for this. Every time you do the deed assume a baby might be what is really coming.
9. Oh and trust me you will love this one. I am already pregnant. I know you are wondering who in the world would want to at that point. Well turns out that the brain and the penis are not always on the same page.
10. If you trusted me .. or maybe it might be the .. if you loved me.. or maybe it will be the I just wanted to feel you inside me for a minute then you can put it on .... Ahhh the point is that unless you are married and want a baby then I would recommend just NOT doing anything that has a chance to make a baby.
Now to be fair I know a few men who have tried to avoid the wearing of the condom with their own stupid lies. My favorite .... wait for it because it is hilarious. "I had a high fever when I was a kid and it left me sterile. Okay ladies let me tell you this... again unless you actually see the lab report demonstrating that he has NO swimmers .... just assume this is a manipulation and well a lie.
Since there is no background orchestra playing the perfect combination of music to help cue people out when they are getting ready to embark on a horror story in their own lives. Trust me a few heartbreaks, court cases, and paternity suits could of been avoided if only we had the same warning (think Fatal Attraction meets Freddy Kruger) system that great directors have been able to weave into their story lines.
Now if you have read this and got the least bit angry you either were the victim of one of the above lies or you used one .. just saying you may want to think about it. On the other hand if you read it and thought yep I know someone who fell for one of those you may want to try to warn your friends, children, sibling and any others you care about.
Climbing back off the pedestal for now.
I have lived long enough that I have been lied to, miss treated, and had a few bad relationships. I have also witnessed quite a few friends and family members who just so happened to be unfortunate enough to fall for their fair share of deceit and end up (at least temporarily) with that one person who brings out the worst in them. If you have managed to live to the age of even 20 you know exactly what I am talking about. Truthfully I wonder if somehow all of the heartache could of been avoided if only there was background music floating around that would cue us in on if we were getting ready to embark on a thriller horror filled time if we did not run in the opposite direction of Mr. or Mrs. Wrong. The scary thing is that I hate to say it but (insert sigh) I am ashamed at some of women I have known and just exactly how manipulative and borderline crazy they were and most likely still are. I know we do not want to admit it but I would be lying if I said I was not worried about the way women can be.
I have two sons that I feel I need to prepare for the lies that they may someday face .. especially since I have been unsuccessful at finding a way to add background music to the picture of their life. First, so I can bring you up to speed at what triggered this rather long rant, let me share a link with you.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/
Now that you read that lovely little story. Let me tell you that I have seen this in women much younger than late 30's or early 40's. Sad but true. I have heard some really wild stories in my life .. I worked in an OBGYN office so I was amazed at the stories of conception. (Even more amazed at how freely and sometimes proudly women shared them). Let me make a quick list of some really good whoppers ...
1. She said she couldn't get pregnant because she was on the pill ... shot... or any one of the normally 99.9 % methods of birth control methods. Guys really??? if you are not there or watching the pill or the shot being administered assume this is a lie or a trap.
2. I can't get pregnant .... Okay another classic line... unless you see the surgical scars and the surgical report showing that the uterus is gone ... assume that this is probably not the complete truth.
3. You can only get pregnant on day 14 of your cycle .. it's okay you don't have to wear a condemn. Try not to laugh I have really heard that one.
4. I am infertile. I love this one because here is a news flash guys .. most physicians do NOT even think of doing infertility testing unless someone has been actively trying to get pregnant unsuccessfully for at least a year ... um so who has she been trying with??
5. I am allergic to condemns. Okay they maybe but great news if it is a latex allergy they make them from non latex as well .. so show her you care and are listening and pay the extra. If they STILL don't want to .. um then you may be slapped with a paternity suit in the next year.
6. She has her own condoms. Why is this one a flag .. yep guys the famous pin hole in the condom trick is real. Sad but true.
7. The article was not lying, there is the seduce him trick and try to make him a bumbling fool. Yes you can wake a man up and umm get to work before they are fully awake. I know sounds nuts but I have heard it before.
8. I am on my period and it is impossible to get pregnant. Again guys .. really?? Do not fall for this. Every time you do the deed assume a baby might be what is really coming.
9. Oh and trust me you will love this one. I am already pregnant. I know you are wondering who in the world would want to at that point. Well turns out that the brain and the penis are not always on the same page.
10. If you trusted me .. or maybe it might be the .. if you loved me.. or maybe it will be the I just wanted to feel you inside me for a minute then you can put it on .... Ahhh the point is that unless you are married and want a baby then I would recommend just NOT doing anything that has a chance to make a baby.
Now to be fair I know a few men who have tried to avoid the wearing of the condom with their own stupid lies. My favorite .... wait for it because it is hilarious. "I had a high fever when I was a kid and it left me sterile. Okay ladies let me tell you this... again unless you actually see the lab report demonstrating that he has NO swimmers .... just assume this is a manipulation and well a lie.
Since there is no background orchestra playing the perfect combination of music to help cue people out when they are getting ready to embark on a horror story in their own lives. Trust me a few heartbreaks, court cases, and paternity suits could of been avoided if only we had the same warning (think Fatal Attraction meets Freddy Kruger) system that great directors have been able to weave into their story lines.
Now if you have read this and got the least bit angry you either were the victim of one of the above lies or you used one .. just saying you may want to think about it. On the other hand if you read it and thought yep I know someone who fell for one of those you may want to try to warn your friends, children, sibling and any others you care about.
Climbing back off the pedestal for now.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Living in Filth ....
My job as an Environmental Health Specialist for the local government has taken me to some interesting homes .. though honestly using the word "home" seems to be the wrong word to use here. Using that word implies things like "home is where the heart is" and some kind of warm environment surrounded by people you love. I would say these are more like cold dwellings. I always knew that everyone had their own opinion regarding house cleaning but I think I was woefully unprepared for how some individuals keep their houses. I have seen garbage stacked as tall as I am, feces (yes human and animal) scattered throughout the house. Animals running around the house peeing wherever they desire. Cockroaches so thick they are climbing out the light sockets in the middle of day. Fleas jumping so violently that the carpet looks like it is alive and my new favorite, bed bugs competing for space on the bed. It it is bad enough that an adult might chose to live like this, surrounded by their mounds of garbage, but when they decide to have their children live like that I have to say it ticks me off.
Recently in the news you may have read about the two young boys found locked in a dog kennel if not check this link out
http://www.knopnews2.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2981:children-rescued-from-kennel&Itemid=105
Now this is not a case of a hoarder with some kind of mental illness such as OCD that has had years to manifest, this is a case of four young adults who simply should not be allowed to reproduce because they are obviously idiots who are lazy. In my pre-mom days I struggled to not only get pregnant but to stay pregnant and here these people have children and treat them quite literally like dogs. The thing that makes me really sad is that most likely they will end up with some kind of suspended or minor punishment, be allowed to take "parenting" classes and then the idiotic court system will want to reunite the children with their parents because they are under the misconception that is is best for a child to be with their "birth" parents. Look I am a mother and do understand that bond but let us be honest not everyone is a good parent. They may be able to pop out a child but that does not mean they should ever be allowed to raise one. I am pretty sure if you are stupid enough to think it is okay to lock your children in a dog kennel that you are only rowing with one ore in the water. Do you really think that these people will take a parenting class and the light bulb will suddenly click on? "ohhhh we should clean up our house and the dog kennel is actually for our dogs NOT our kids" .. "thanks Division of Family and Children for teaching me that???".
The solution is easy. Everyday in newspapers all across this country there are infertile couples begging to adopt children, there are people who wait years for the opportunity. Let us stop the spread of stupid and give these kids a real chance at life and stop giving them back. Look in some cases it should be ONE chance only not dozens. So many of these children will be placed in foster care, given back, placed in foster care, given back .. you get the picture. If we have to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on trying to turn these people into parents I would rather spend the money having them sterialized. Yes I said it .. what a heartless person I am. I am just sick and tired of reading (and witnessing) cases of abuse against children. It is a sad world we live in where a mother can even attempt to justify locking her kids in a kennel, a basement, a closet, or beating them, putting cigerettes out on them, not feeding them, drowning them, the list goes on and on .. and what do we do .. we attempt to educate them why it was wrong. Perhaps we should just treat them exactly how they treated their kids. They should go to jail .. the rooms are too large, no instead let us buy them a lovely kennel to stay in.
Climbing off the soap box .. have a great day!
Recently in the news you may have read about the two young boys found locked in a dog kennel if not check this link out
http://www.knopnews2.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2981:children-rescued-from-kennel&Itemid=105
Now this is not a case of a hoarder with some kind of mental illness such as OCD that has had years to manifest, this is a case of four young adults who simply should not be allowed to reproduce because they are obviously idiots who are lazy. In my pre-mom days I struggled to not only get pregnant but to stay pregnant and here these people have children and treat them quite literally like dogs. The thing that makes me really sad is that most likely they will end up with some kind of suspended or minor punishment, be allowed to take "parenting" classes and then the idiotic court system will want to reunite the children with their parents because they are under the misconception that is is best for a child to be with their "birth" parents. Look I am a mother and do understand that bond but let us be honest not everyone is a good parent. They may be able to pop out a child but that does not mean they should ever be allowed to raise one. I am pretty sure if you are stupid enough to think it is okay to lock your children in a dog kennel that you are only rowing with one ore in the water. Do you really think that these people will take a parenting class and the light bulb will suddenly click on? "ohhhh we should clean up our house and the dog kennel is actually for our dogs NOT our kids" .. "thanks Division of Family and Children for teaching me that???".
The solution is easy. Everyday in newspapers all across this country there are infertile couples begging to adopt children, there are people who wait years for the opportunity. Let us stop the spread of stupid and give these kids a real chance at life and stop giving them back. Look in some cases it should be ONE chance only not dozens. So many of these children will be placed in foster care, given back, placed in foster care, given back .. you get the picture. If we have to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on trying to turn these people into parents I would rather spend the money having them sterialized. Yes I said it .. what a heartless person I am. I am just sick and tired of reading (and witnessing) cases of abuse against children. It is a sad world we live in where a mother can even attempt to justify locking her kids in a kennel, a basement, a closet, or beating them, putting cigerettes out on them, not feeding them, drowning them, the list goes on and on .. and what do we do .. we attempt to educate them why it was wrong. Perhaps we should just treat them exactly how they treated their kids. They should go to jail .. the rooms are too large, no instead let us buy them a lovely kennel to stay in.
Climbing off the soap box .. have a great day!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Life as a news junkie ...
I have to admit I comb through several different sites and read the news from more than one angle because the truth of the matter is that you have to realize that news is often slated by the opinion of the person who is reporting it and lets face it most of the media is pumped full of what I would call overly liberal politically correct idiots. Yep I said it idiots. How many times have you tuned into the evening news and watch an interview and thought WHAT kind of question is that??? Really they shove a microphone into the face of a family member who just found out their loved one is dead and they ask "how does that make you feel to find out that your loved one was killed by a drunk driver who did not have a license?" Really anyone with an IQ higher than a slug already knows the answer to that incredibly stupid question. Worse yet how is it possible that we can have soldiers die half a world a way it it barely registers on any news stations or articles? Young men and women are dying and leaving behind a huge hole in the life of their families and friends and we are more concerned with what dress Kim Kardashian wore in her wedding or what are the latest antics of Lindsey Lohan? That is a sad state of affairs that as a country we have become so concerned with the mundane idiotic lives of so called famous people that we have forgotten what really matters. I find myself wondering if all this is leading to the dumbing of Americans in general.
How is a person to find the truth if you can not trust most news agencies to report the real facts? That of course is a conundrum in itself. I usually try to find more than one article pertaining to a topic and read it from more than one angle realizing that the truth is most likely somewhere in between the lines. People are fixated on worth less and senseless news stories because of the sensationalism of the story itself. For instance death and gore stories are always popular and to make up for making your feel bad they will mix in the occasional piece of "feel good" fluff. Most of the time a news station never even bothers to follow up to let it's viewers know how something turned out because they assume our attention span is not long enough to recall or care .. sigh how sad is that. How many times have you heard a story about a murder or tragic event yet you never hear any follow up? That 69 year old you read about that was beat up and left for dead .. you never hear if his assailants were captured, tried and convicted. Yet you are well aware if Mel Gibson settled his case with this ex-girlfriend AKA baby's momma. Seriously how is it that we have resorted to this level where gossip is more important?
Ah as for me I will do my best to keep my children from being a part of a giant cog that is forgetting how to think for itself.
Jennifer
How is a person to find the truth if you can not trust most news agencies to report the real facts? That of course is a conundrum in itself. I usually try to find more than one article pertaining to a topic and read it from more than one angle realizing that the truth is most likely somewhere in between the lines. People are fixated on worth less and senseless news stories because of the sensationalism of the story itself. For instance death and gore stories are always popular and to make up for making your feel bad they will mix in the occasional piece of "feel good" fluff. Most of the time a news station never even bothers to follow up to let it's viewers know how something turned out because they assume our attention span is not long enough to recall or care .. sigh how sad is that. How many times have you heard a story about a murder or tragic event yet you never hear any follow up? That 69 year old you read about that was beat up and left for dead .. you never hear if his assailants were captured, tried and convicted. Yet you are well aware if Mel Gibson settled his case with this ex-girlfriend AKA baby's momma. Seriously how is it that we have resorted to this level where gossip is more important?
Ah as for me I will do my best to keep my children from being a part of a giant cog that is forgetting how to think for itself.
Jennifer
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)