Focus on This! :What's On My Plate

 

I’m A Gummy Bear!!

      Yeah, I’m a gummy bear!!  Ok, I know. You are probably wondering why but that is the kind of couple days I have had.  I simply had to share.  Most people would think that there is something really mentally wrong with me to think a gummy bear gyrating and shaking it’s a$$ is hilarious.  This is just the cherry on top of the last couple days.  I must share because it is perfect for a Friday night and not that far off from “I’m Sexy and I Know It” which I think is just as hilarious.

       Yesterday I had the rare pleasure of being called in to work at my son’s school.  I am a cafeteria sub which means that when I am needed they call me in.  Yesterday was special because the kids and staff were being treated to a special Thanksgiving feast and it was all hands on deck!  I was immediately put to work placing mouth watering pumpkin rolls onto huge trays.  When the kids filed through I was the pumpkin roll girl.  They had their choice…plain sugar cookie or luscious pumpkin cake rolled up and held together with thick and creamy cream cheese frosting!  Can you tell I love cream cheese frosting?  Rest assured I was good.  I abstained from sucking the leftover frosting off my plastic gloves.  

       Once the kids were served it was off to the dish room to help the lady washing dishes a gazillion lunch trays.  She hosed them down and sent them through the handy dandy automatic dishwasher and I grabbed them out of the receiving end and put them away.  The best part of the whole thing is that I got not one, not two, but three big bear hugs from my son before he ate lunch, during lunch, and to say goodbye as he raced off to recess.  I was pumped with adrenalin and had a blast.  It is down right sinful to enjoy a job so much.  It is my favorite of all the schools I have worked at so far.  Bonus, they sent me home with leftovers!!  

        Once I got home I realized I was exhausted.  There is no rest for the wicked so when the kids got home we marched off to the mall for our 1 mile trek around its halls.  The mall staff was busy getting ready for the arrival of Santa Claus.  Christmas trees were everywhere glistening with twinkle lights.  When we got home I busted open the aluminum pans holding the leftovers and somehow managed to slice my finger.  Blood spewed everywhere.  After that, my finger was entirely too sore to type.  I was too pooped to pop.  

        Morning dawned and it was the usual Friday madness.  Up at the butt crack of dawn to pack lunches and get the kids on the bus and then the sickening job of figuring out just which lucky bill collectors would be blessed with a payment.  Even then I wasn’t in the mood to write.  I tried, I did.  

      I was determined to participate in Larissa’s linky party at “Papa is a Preacher”.  Sorry to all that I am a day late!!  I had such good intentions of being on time.  Next week, Thanksgiving or not, I am so there!!!!  Since the linky hasn’t closed yet…I am fashionably late but hopefully still in time for the last hurrah!  It is Friday night and the kids are dancing to “I’m a gummy bear” after stuffing themselves with cheese pizza and orange pop.  To be a kid again!! 

      I was good and ate exactly what was prescribed on my diet sheet: lots of veggies, fruit, and a turkey burger in the perfect size portion.  Am I good or what?  Not quite to the point of singing “I’m sexy and I know it” but I’m working on it until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.
    

Learning to Be Thankful- BFF 134

    This Thanksgiving I am so thankful for the things I have in my life.  I choose not to agonize over the things I don’t.  It would be so easy to lose myself in the depths of despair over the fact that my parents are no longer alive to celebrate with or that money is in short supply.  I may not have all I want, but I have all I need.


      It seems life is never easy, but I get G0d’s purpose for life’s struggles.   He wants us to depend on Him for strength, be thankful to Him for all blessings no matter how small, and value the priceless things in life that can never be replaced.  Therefore I am thankful that unlike last year, my husband will be home for Thanksgiving.  I am thankful everyday for the companionship and devotion of my children who march through life at my side.  I am thankful that except for a cold, my family is healthy.  I am thankful for a car that runs, a roof over my head, and my dear sweet pets who snuggle against me to keep me warm at night. 

      I am thankful for the wonderful parents I was blessed to have, and even though they are no longer here I am thankful for the precious memories I have of them.   I am thankful that G0d blessed me with the ability to cook and magically create a delicious meal.  Even though it would be great to have the newest shiniest SUV to drive, I am thankful I don’t have the hefty payment that would go with it!  I am thankful for my blazer and the fact that is paid for.  I am thankful for the kind neighbors that have befriended me on both sides making me feel less alone.  I am thankful for dear friends, precious memories, and the promise of tomorrow with no mistakes.

      I am thankful for the outlet to express myself on this website and those precious folks that read my words, watch the music videos, and in doing so gaze directly into the depths of my soul.  I am thankful for the feedback I receive from my readers through their comments.  I am deeply thankful for all the friends it has brought my way.  Mostly I am thankful to have learned the valuable skill of taking life one day at a time, and learning to laugh, even through my tears.  Until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a trucker’s wife.

Wordless Wednesday: Bring on the Turkey!!

Tasty Tuesday: Cheddar Potato Casserole

    Soon it will be Thanksgiving, and I am already planning what will be on the dinner table at my house.  Mashed potatoes are a staple for any holiday table and there is not tastier recipe for mashed potatoes than this one.  It is a firm favorite at my house and is often requested whether it is Thanksgiving or not.

4-6  large baking potatoes, peeled  
1 1/2 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 TBSP chopped fresh chives


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


Coarsely chop the potatoes.  Place in a medium saucepan, add enough water to cover.  Cook over medium high heat until tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain and mash in saucepan.   If you choose to take the shortcut, prepare the instant mashed potatoes according to package directions.


Add cream cheese and sour cream to saucepan.  Whip potatoes with a wire whisk until well mixed.  Mix in onion salt, garlic salt, and pepper.


Spoon potato mixture into a baking dish.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes.


For a festive touch, arrange tomato slices on top of casserole and then sprinkle with chives.  Bake for 5 minutes longer.


Bon Appetit' and Happy Thanksgiving!

Through the Eyes of the Turkey

     Have you ever considered what a turkey may be thinking in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, especially if he or she happens still to be alive to gobble about it??  I mean hells bells, imagine the horror stories that circulate around the turkey pen about the holiday where most everyone else is counting their blessings.

      How do turkeys mentally prepare for the inevitable?  A person with any kind of religious belief at all has a much more pleasant idea of the here after than a turkey.  Wouldn’t it be a little disturbing to know that one day someone is going to chop your head off, stuff a concoction of bread crumbs up your a$$, roast you in an oven for several hours, and then take great pleasure in devouring your carcass??  Holy hell.   I think I would be scared $hitless of the inevitable.  I would be trying to hide out,  go on strike waving signs that say “Discover the Joys of Beef!” , “Eat Chicken”, or “Eat Pork”, or jumping the nearest flight to a country that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving.  

       If nothing else, I can be thankful that I am not a turkey and I can look forward to a much better eternity than ending up being flushed down the toilet.  Just saying, even though I am looking forward to my Thanksgiving turkey as much as everyone else I am sure thankful I am not a turkey!! Until next time when I give you another glimpse into a trucker’s wife. 

Recollections of First Thanksgivings - BFF 142

     Some of my earliest recollections from Thanksgivings past included not just one huge meal, but several.  Not only did my mother make a huge spread, but I also had three sets of Grandparents to share Thanksgiving with.   Usually, we would have a meal  at home that my mother prepared on Thanksgiving day.  Then we would travel to each of the grandparent’s homes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Turkey, turkey, and even more turkey!!  By the end of it,  you came close to growing feathers and saying “Gobble, Gobble, Gobble!”


        Although I have memories of attending the Thanksgiving festivities of all three sets of Grandparents, my dad’s parent’s celebration always stood out.  For one thing, there were always a lot more people.  I had 5 sets of aunts and uncles at that gathering plus a slew of cousins, with second cousins coming along later on.  

         On holidays long tables were set up end to end down the center of the living room into the master bedroom with chairs lined up on both sides dominating Grandma‘s farmhouse.  Grandma sat on one end of the long table, and Grandpa on the other.   Behind Grandpa there was always another table set up in the master bedroom and all the cousins fought to get to sit alone in the bedroom in that special place of distinction. 
     
    

       The table was set with Grandma’s  best tablecloths, red and clear glass plates,  silverware, and water goblets.  When it was time, we would all gather around that massive table and joined hands much like the Who’s down in  Whoville singing “Count Your Blessings”.   Then Grandpa would lead us all in prayer.  Grandpa always mumbled when he prayed and he was so far away that usually I couldn’t make out what he was saying.  Somehow you would figure out when he was finished by the loud proclamation of “Amen!!  and then we would go single file, out the front door, through the garage, into the kitchen where all the wonderful food awaited.   Usually it was always colder than a witches tit in the Klondike outside, and by the time you got back into the house, the heat from the kitchen steamed up your glasses so you couldn’t see three inches in front of your face.

         Since I was the youngest, I was always finished eating before anyone else and antsy to get up and run around with my cousin.  The only problem with that is that with all the tables and chairs, you couldn’t squeeze a mouse fart out once you were seated.  We got around that too by having a merry ole time crawling under the network of tables to wherever we wanted to go.

     When everyone was finally finished eating, the women retreated into the kitchen to wash dishes and the men set to work taking down the tables.  In their place, a few card tables were erected and quite a few rousing games of Euchre and Yahtzee were played.  Sometimes Grandpa would dig out his home movies and the whole family would gather in the living room to watch.  Other times, everyone would just visit.






       It always amazed me that no matter how many grand kids there were, and there were a G0d’s plenty, Grandma and Grandpa would always give us hugs and kisses when we arrived and when it was time to go home.  They had so much love for each and every one of us and instilled in me the importance of family, thankfulness of blessings, G0d, and faith.

       Sadly those long lost Thanksgivings are only a memory as many of the key players have passed on from this life.  Their smiles and laughter will never be forgotten, and I can still hear the family singing “Count Your Blessings” in my mind.  I can only hope that I can instill the same sense of family, love, and tradition in my own children.  Until next time when I give you another glimpse into the life of a truckers wife.

Tasty Tuesday: Scalloped Corn

     When I was a little girl, one of my favorite dishes my mom prepared on Thanksgiving was scalloped corn.  As tradition dictates, it has become a favorite at my house too!  Since Thanksgiving is just around the corner, it seems to be the perfect time to share it here!!

2 cans of  cream style corn

3 cans of kernel corn
2/3 cup cracker crumbs
3 TBSP melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp minced onion


     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat the eggs, add milk and cracker crumbs.  Reserve some crumbs for top.  Add corn, onion, seasoning, and melted butter.  Mix all ingredients well and pour into a greased casserole.  Top with crushed cracker crumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.


Bon Appetit!