Green Beans: The Star of the Show

Had to blog about the beans that I had way way way too many helpings of tonight. Wow. So you know how Amazon Kindle always has a long list of free books you can ‘buy’? I bought several cookbooks from the Gooseberry Patch on different kinds of cooking…slow cooker, meatloaf, mac n cheese et cetera. I found a green bean recipe in the slow cooker book…three cans of drained green beans, two cans chicken broth with garlic (I had to substitute chicken bouillon cubes with minced garlic) and yes, a half pound of bacon. Salt and pepper to taste, but I actually forgot this step, and it wasn’t needed AT ALL. Cook for FIVE hours in the crock pot.

Expletive! Superlative! Truly divine beans! That’s all I had to say, you all have a good day now.

For Autism Awareness

I’ll answer the question first, What’s4Dinner? If I can remember, I’ll put the roast in and we’ll have a lovely meal with beef/potatoes/carrots and rolls.

For Autism Awareness, I’m linking the post I wrote for my Social Stories blog. Have a good day, and if you have someone in your life affected by Autism, then maybe reach out and give them a hand this month. Autism Awareness Month

Ideas of things you can do for a family with Autism

Offer to take their child with Autism for two hours so the family can do an activity free of stress

Offer to bring dinner one night

Offer to visit the family and entertain the child with Autism so the mother can complete some chores

Find out the child’s favorite treat and bring it; stay and chat with the child for a few minutes

Offer to take the children free of the disorder somewhere fun so they can have a ‘normal’ outing

Read up on what it’s like to have Autism, and come up with some ideas of how to help on your own

Send a note of encouragement to the family affected by ASD

Send flowers to the family affected by ASD

Make a donation to an Autism research organization or other similar charity in the family’s name

Talk about Autism with the people you meet each day to heighten awareness

Greet the child with Autism enthusiastically when you meet them out in public or at church or school

Bring a book to read to the child with Autism so mother can have a nap

Understand that sometimes when they say ‘Fine!’ they don’t mean it

Understand that sometimes when they say ‘Fine!’ it really is fine

Ask about the child with Autism; people generally like talking about their struggles-it’s nice to have a listening ear too

First of the Year

I don’t intend to blog much this year since I have a trilogy that I’m working on…but wanted to mention that I’m exercising again/still? and why is it so hard to fit exercising AND writing regularly into my schedule? Okay, yes, I have six kids: one getting ready to graduate and serve a mission, one turning sixteen, one officially entering teenagerhood, one entering middleschool, one turning five and a nursing baby. But still.

So my new goal is to get my fifteen minutes of walking in AND revising/writing in each day. I’m going to need a lot of luck and some time management skills.

Here is the title of my Trilogy, just as a teaser for you: “Rise of the Battle Bred” by V.L. Holt

Imagining Fire-Breathing Reptiles

Yes, found a new band. Shout out to my sister “Bertha” who turned me on to this group. They’re called “Imagine Dragons” and they rock out and furthermore…one of their tracks will be the theme song for my book I’m working on. Oh yeah, the muse snuck up on me and bit me in the *ss and now I am writing like a madwoman. Check out their song, “Demons” if you want a hint about my book, and no it’s not about demons. Exactly. Or vampires, so don’t bother guessing. But probably my fave song on it is “Radioactive”. But there are several others that are just so fun. Have fun working out.Image

The A.M. Check-in

Hey, sup? I’ve been walking, but not blogging. One life change at a time, if you please. The babester is totally cute.

I started cooking again, and having fun with it. I have a love affair with gravy these days. Yesterday I fried pork strips, green peppers and onions in some olive oil. I couldn’t find the rice, so I had to make mashed potatoes instead. To me, peppers and mashed potatoes don’t seem to go together, so I compromised and made gravy from the pan drippings. YUM! The only drawback was that it didn’t make very much gravy. I used a roux made with butter and potato starch, the pan drippings, and milk. It thickened up great and was reminiscent of a sausage gravy, but you could definitely taste a hint of green pepper. It was very interesting and tasty! I know, gravy and personal fitness don’t really go together.

Where Have All the Twinkies Gone

Readers who know me, will have been waiting to read anything I post about Twinkies. Check in the archives, and you will find more than one reference to the gooey cakey glistening snack cake filled with sexy sugar cream.

I had to ask myself a very serious question. If I was asked to take an 8% pay cut in order to support my employer staying open, would I do it? It’s a fair question. If I was supporting my family, would 8% less money be able to take care of our needs? I think we could handle the change if we cut household expenses…snack cakes, for one. Cable television, leaving lights on when we go out, you know…make some cuts at home and you could still have your job. It would not be comfortable to take the pay cut. I would probably be tempted to look for other work, but that would be quite a risk in the current economic climate. In the end, I think I would have to accept it, particularly if I was supporting my family. (Thank God above, I am NOT supporting our family, DH is, and a damn fine job he’s doing, I might add.)

BUT, if I was part of a union, would that choice be mine to make? I can say honestly that I don’t know. How much leeway does a union member have when the question of employment arises? Seriously…if you have the answer, let me know.

So the rest of the story is the Union said, in very technical terms, “Screw. You. Hostess.”

And now instead of an 8% pay cut, 18,500 people got a 100% pay cut. Okayyyyy.

You would think, wouldn’t you, that a person with my proclivities toward Twinkie goodness would have already stocked up on Twinkies, HoHos, Ding Dongs et cetera. After all, I have 800 lbs of whole wheat. Twinkies would have rounded out our food storage quite nicely. But alas, I didn’t stock up. And now I face the question, if I was asked to reduce my dignity by 8%, would I join the ranks of panicked Twinkie-craving citizens to purchase every last box of Twinkies or Ding Dongs that I could find? It turns out, I am NOT willing to cut my dignity by 8%. I’m going to stay at home and write my grocery list, and include healthy-type food items for the storage: rice, and corn, and green beans and the like. I will look back with fondness at the times I was able to sink my teeth into a sweet snack cake and enjoy 100% of my memories and my dignity.

Kickin it Up a Notch: Nod to Emeril

Hey, I’ve added a whole new dimension to my walk/run. 8 pound weights, and I’m not even talking about my baby.

I noticed I can instantly raise my heart rate by doing weight curls during my walk. It is so lovely.

Here’s to good health. I’m going to attach a photo of my awesome guns from two years ago to inspire myself.

Float like a dragonfly, sting like a diaper rash

Sweet Freedom

Just so you know, I’ve been walking regularly! Even if I’m not blogging, I’m on the treadmill working it.

Restaurant review: Salsa’s

A guy with a cart came by our table and offered to make fresh guacamole; he had a tip jar too. We were like, sure, fresh guac, I’m on it.

It was DELICIOUS! Was it eight dollars delicious?? (that’s how much the restaurant charged, so with the tip it was 9$) Hm. I would have to say, yes, it was worth it. He used three avocados; they were perfectly ripe, no brown spots, no overripe flavor. Fresh squeezed lime juice, fresh onions and tomatoes…it was divine and I had a ton of it. In fact, I might have to go back for more.