The Red Tent

Mom gave this to me to read about 5 years ago, raving about how wonderful it was. I set it on the shelf with every intention of reading it, sometimes picking it up and looking, even starting it once or twice. However, it remained unread on my book shelf for years. Recently I was looking for something new to read. If you know me at all, I care to read more young adult-fantasy-feel-good stories. I really don't like to read about the seriousness of life. (We have to deal with that in real life enough as it is - why spend time reading about it?) But I picked up this one, finally, feeling ready to read it, and what a beautiful and compelling story.

If you haven't heard of The Red Tent, it is the (long and assumed) story of Dinah, Jacob, son of Issac's only daughter. She is mentioned in Genesis only briefly in chapter 34. It is the story of her violation by a prince and her brothers' vengeance on the prince and city. Although the story that unfolds follows Jacob throughout most of his life, it is a story of womanhood. Mothers, daughters, midwifes, and concubines. The Red Tent shows the beauty of women and how they deal with the sorrows and joys of life. It is a must read for every woman. I think I may have to give it another go when I have kids, I am sure it will mean something different from a mother's perspective. If you do choose to take this one on, read it along with the story of Jacob. It will help keep fact from fiction as well as giving a more vivid light to some of the more mundane chores of daily lives of his people.

It is beautiful and enchanting and definitely had me in tears. I think I need to go read some Roald Dahl now.

In the Making

So this is the end of a really, very long two weeks. I can not tell you how tough it has been to get up in the mornings and drag myself to school. Last week I made it a habit to fall asleep on the couch at 7:30 every evening, only waking when Chris came and helped me hobble into bed to finish sleeping. I love my job and love art, but kids are SO draining. All day long, every day, and hundreds of them.... It is times like these I am glad I don't have any of my own.

One thing that I have been struggling with lately is who I am as a teacher. I don't know if I am a "cool" teacher or a "mean" teacher or one that simply gets over looked. (In reality I probably fall somewhere in between.) I stress personal character and integrity in my classroom quite a bit, and unfortunately those are not necessarily cool characteristics and are something that I feel is disappearing daily in our society. As I try to model these attributes, I realize just how desensitized our kids are becoming. Words that kids use in everyday language are words like "sexy." I remember the first time I heard someone call something sexy. I was appalled! All I could do was look at them and tell them, "We don't use 'sexy' in this class." Turns out other teachers are who they go it from. It breaks my heart to see these types of things happening and know it is just getting worse.

So I have taken to planting subliminal messages in the music during class. Once in a while the entry song is none other than the Beatles "Give Peace a Chance." It is about 6 minutes long and just chants one of my favorite phrases over and over. The kids don't even notice it, which makes me wonder a little bit if it is working it's way into their young little brains.

I have recently found a new song that has struck a chord within my heart. I wont play it for my students because of the religious references, but every time I listen to it, it makes my heart swell. It makes me want to paint the most beautiful picture on earth and then give it to God. It reminds me of why I put up with 200 crazy attention seeking children every day. It reminds me what kind of person I strive to be and hope to become. It reminds me of the kind of change I want to see in the world.

Today one of my friends found out that a close friend of hers died in a car accident last night in Michigan. I didn't know how to comfort her. I had no idea what to say. I still don't. When I heard this song tonight I thought of her and new that God would do the healing and that I would just be there to listen.

This was a really long explanation for why I like a song, but I would not share it if it wasn't special to me. Click on the title of the post and give it a listen. It is beautiful, (I just hope it is not to artsy for your taste.)

second try

White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini

Randy Mayor
Video: Dinner Tonight: White Bean and Sausage Ragout with Tomatoes, Kale, and Zucchini
Gallery: Quick-Cooking Classic Soups
Menu: A Comforting Ragout
See Wine Pairings for this recipe

Soup and Stew Recipes
Main Dishes and Entrées
American Recipes

Worthy of a Special Occasion

Chock-full of vegetables, this one-pot ragout—a thick, well-seasoned stew—warms up a chilly winter evening. If you've never had kale, this dish makes the most of its sweet, earthy flavor.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 (4-ounce) links chicken sausage, cut into (1/2-inch) slices
1 zucchini, quartered and cut into (1/2-inch) slices (about 2 cups)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
6 cups chopped trimmed kale (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 cup water
2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion and sausage 4 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add zucchini and garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add kale and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 467 (20% from fat)
Fat: 10.2g (sat 2.3g,mono 4.6g,poly 2.5g)
Protein: 28.5g
Carbohydrate: 71.8g
Fiber: 15.4g
Cholesterol: 42mg
Iron: 8.8mg
Sodium: 764mg
Calcium: 370mg
Lia Huber, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2005

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A New Five Star recipe

Got this in my e-mail the other day. Had some elk sausage on hand and needed to use it up. Did have to go to the store for the kale, but had the rest on hand. I really enjoyed this a lot!

Chive Seeds?

Ok, this will be really quick! Mom gave me a chive plant that I have been trying to keep alive over the winter. (It may or may not make it.) Today when I watered it, the soil was really really dry (oops). however, when all the water finally soaked in, a bunch of little seed pod looking things rose to the surface from under the soil. I don't know if they are going to start sprouting, if that was supposed to happen, if I need to cover them with dirt, if they are even the same plant..... I really am very confused. Let me know if you have any ideas!

Stepping out of a pattern

When I wake up in the morning, I don't like to get in a hurry about it. I like to lay in bed until my eyes can accept light and my brain can stay somewhat in focus...not for long, but enough to get a cup of coffee, take a couple of daily pills and get me to my computer. Even at that point, I am limited in brain power. I slowly warm up as I scan through the e-mail and sip the coffee and assess my upcoming day.

Recently, I finished a women's bible study that lasted 8 weeks and it will be until February before the next one starts, so my friend and I agreed to hold each other's feet to the fire and do a Bible study with each other via e-mail. We agreed that we would read the same information and then make comments on our thoughts and send it to each other. However, we cannot open the other one's e-mail until we have posted our own. Well, every morning, by the time I wake up, she has already posted her thoughts....and I'm still waking up...oh, talk about pressure. So, for three days, I diligently went immediately to the source, read the Bible passage and posted my thoughts. Hey...this isn't bad...I like this. It gets me started with some food for thought for the day. This is me....stepping out of my pattern, but, it's ok.

The grocery stores have been next to impossible for parking and shopping lately, so my DH suggested that if I did as he does when he does his Sam's shopping trip at 7 AM, that I would all but have the store to myself and I can safely park my new car a little closer than the end of the parking lot (far enough away that no one else would park next to me unless it was the only parking space left in the whole lot...not that I mind the extra steps...Lord knows, I need the exercise.) So, I thought...ok...I woke up at 7 AM this morning. Thought #1: "Oh, no! I'm already behind schedule." So I found my way to the closet, threw on some clothes (now this I don't normally do until I am wide awake and have at least 3 cups of coffee) and found my way to the kitchen. I figure I should at least eat a little breakfast and have "some" coffee. I got to the store..good parking place...short list...however, it two things on there that I wasn't sure where they were in the store - this is a "deal breaker" for a fast trip...it usually requires an "ask someone who might know." I did pretty well shopping and then ran into a dear friend...well, you know you have to stop and chat for a while...got my groceries and headed for home.

Since Wednesday is the day I usually take my mother-in-law shopping, I know there is a second trip to the store in my future. Plan is to pick her up after I run to the dentist office to have a couple of stitches removed. DH tells me that we have a "high wind" possibility for about the time I would be picking her up....now we imagine the wind grabbing the door of the new car and picking up my mother-in-law and flying her off to Kansas or something. Not me...I carry this extra weight for a reason. It keeps me grounded in high wind situations. I considered seeing if she would be interested in going earlier, but that would run us into the lunch hour, so I opted instead to do a few things here, like empty the dishwasher, and check my e-mail, post my rating on the book I just finished on Goodreads, and perhaps do my Bible study. You know, some of my "usual" morning routine things. Blogging has been on the back of my mind, but I wasn't sure, and I'm still not sure, if I had anything significant to write about.

Briana's blog the other day, talked about remembering smells, and when I was finishing reading my book...somewhere near the end, was the following: "The aroma of fresh outdoors clung to him, reminding her of when she used to consider the scent of him equal to what integrity would smell like if it carried a fragrance, and in spite of herself, she took a deep breath. 'I can't figure out how to connect with forgiveness sometimes. I understand that when we forgive, we're saying what was done to us is not more powerful than God's ability to redeem us from it, and sometimes I'm able, and sometimes I just wish no one asked, no one made me face what's inside"

Forgiveness is a difficult thing for me to do. How do you forgive someone for scaring your memory with hurtful things? I find this concept a very helpful idea. How do you erase the scars even when you think you have forgiven someone? What is it that sparks the memory of those things?

Yesterday's study has food for thought on this:

2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (New International Version, ©2010)
Praise to the God of All Comfort
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

My Grama Joy

My Grama Joy

My Grama Joy died November 19th of this year, less than a month ago. She was 91 years old. 91! About a year ago, she said she was going to live to be 100. I haven't decided if I want to live that long or not. There are days when I just long to be home with my Heavenly Father, but so much here to enjoy, and I don't even have grand children yet. While I slighlty diverted, I will let the words grand children bring me back to the original reason for this post. I had the priveledge of being a grand child to Joy Riske. I am not a writer, so, this will be very raw, but I wanted to record some of my thoughts and memories as I process my very big loss. Her memorial service will be in the spring, so, hopefully, this may help me to grieve and get some "closure" now.

One of my earliest memories of Grama Joy would be riding around in her brown Nova. I honestly don't remember if I wore my seatbelt or not. I do know that Grama took me to many gymnastics lessons, or Montgomery Ward, possibly for some new clothes. Grama was a huge part in raising me and my sisters, as my mom was single and raising us with no shared custody of my father. Grama was my father's mother, which speaks volumes about her character and how much she loved us, since he was really not in the picture.

You know how cars have smells? I don't remember the specific smell of that Nova, but I know it must have had one, because Grama and Papa always had dogs, and they were a part of the family, so, of course, they went for rides in the car. While I don't remember that smell, there are certain smells that will always take me back to Grama Joy. Some, I may never smell again, but the connection is still so strong, it's like I can almost smell them if I close my eyes and think of them. Grama Joy used to always have Rose Milk Lotion. Anyone remember that? Also, the smell of the inside of a Sucrets tin box. A lot of times, the throat lozenges would be gone, and you'd find another "suprise" like bobby pins, buttons, or safety pins inside, but the tin still smelled of cherry Sucrets. Then of course, there's Grama Joy's homemade macaroni and cheese. Papa, who preceeded Grama to heaven, would make us blueberry pancakes if we slept overnight at their house, so I can't smell blueberry pancakes without thinking of them. And what about that candy dish? I ended up with THE candy dish, and it will always be a treasure to me. Yes, I like candy, but there's so much more to it than that. Beyond the sweet smell of Brach's mixed candy, the candy dish tells a story of it's own and deserves it's own paragraph.

I'm glad I grew up in the 70's. I had a lot of freedoms that sadly, my kids just can't enjoy because of the world we live in today. Grama and Papa lived two blocks away from us in the avenues in Cheyenne, WY. We, as kids, would just roam the neighborhoods on our bikes, or roller skates, or just walking. There was ALWAYS a mandatory stop at Grama and Papa's house for "energy" (a.k.a. candy). We never knocked, and the back door was always open. The candy dish, never empty, could always be found in the same spot on that orange countertop. We were never told no to the candy dish, and did I mention that it was never empty? I never saw Grama or Papa eat candy, but I know my Grama had a sweet tooth. Later in her years, the dentist told her she had to stop eating chewy sweet things, but I think people snuck some in for her. At least, I hope they did. :)

I don't remember how old I was, but one year, on Thanksgiving, Cheyenne had a huge blizzard. There was no traffic, and because we lived two blocks away, we walked to Grama's house for dinner. To me, it seemed to take an hour or two to get there. I was a tiny little girl, and every time I would take a step in the snow it would come up to my waist. I remember being frustrated at the walk that normally took 5 minutes, but, I also remember knowing that when we got there, it would all be worth it. Grama and Papa's house was always warm and inviting. We could count on a great meal, of course, but after, hanging out in that HUGE living room (I'm sure it's much smaller now) and watching football, or Peanuts, or the Muppets. One of the sweetest memories I have is when Grama would sit down on the floor in front of Papa's chair, probably after having done all the dishes, and she wouldn't say a word, but Papa would reach down and rub her neck and shoulders.

A few other little and sort of silly memories:

Grama wasn't a talker. Oh, she'd speak her mind if she felt it was necessary, but I don't have a lot of memories of just talking with her. Despite that, I know my Grama loved and cared for me and my sisters. She had other ways of showing it. She always made sure that under our fingernails were clean. I wonder if she dug as hard under her own nails as she did ours. To her last day, I'm sure she had her fingernails filed, and polished nicely. Growing up in Cheyenne, (remember the blizzard?) Grama was always concerned if we had our "undershirts" on. This makes my heart smile.

One last memory. Grama would always bring her left over food from dining out to our house, usually wrapped up in a napkin and discreetly tucked in her purse. Even when she was out with Papa or her friends, she still thought of us.

I will miss her more than I ever thought possible. I can't wait to see her again in Heaven.

Function vs. Aesthetics

Ok. It is a pretty good thing that I don't live and die by the aesthetics and technical skill of my sewing. I always have this problem and it drives me crazy! The fabric always pulls and is longer on one end than the other. Not only that, but it doesn't lie flat because it is sewn at a bias a bit (not on purpose, of course). I just don't have the patience to take it out after I put all of my effort into ironing and measuring and making it seem like it will work. And then what happens.... it doesn't. Tonight I just had to throw my hands up and tell myself, "Oh, well... they are just curtains, and it goes in the bathroom of all places. Not like I really hang out in the bathroom..." But it is still irritating. Whatever.

I did manage today to make mushroom bread. No, it doesn't have mushrooms in it. It just looks like a big old mushroom that you would see on Mario Bros. or something. Actually, I guess it looks edible, however, I am a little concerned about the texture inside. It is really heavy and I am not sure if it is going to be rock hard or not when I break the sucker open. We'll see. It was my first time.

So I guess the main point I am trying to get at on today's post is that I spent a long time today on both of these projects and neither turned out exactly how I wanted. That's just how it goes sometimes, but if anyone has any bread-making/curtain sewing tips for me they would be much appreciated. Until next time... hopefully in which I will create a masterpiece to share....

The Soloist

If you know me, you know that I don't watch much TV. I find it very frustrating to have 200 channels, or what ever ridiculous number we have, and not be able to find something that I want to watch. Last spring, sometime during that never ending part of the year when you are still stuck in winter and longing for signs of anything green outside, I decided to sign up for Netflix. Surely I would be able to find something in the thousands of titles available that would strike my interest -- and I was right. Now we get two movies a month, which is the minimum subscription offered, and they are delivered right to our PO Box. No more going to Blockbuster (which is a whole blog entry in itself), no due dates, no late fees. Can't get much better than that, especially if you live in rural Wyoming.

Last night David and I watched the movie "The Soloist". It is a true life story of a newspaper reporter, Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) who discovers a street musician, Nathaniel Ayers(Jammie Foxx) and how the bond that forms between them changes both of their lives. It was very thought provoking - one of those movies that you are still thinking about the next day. I was moved and amazed by the number and state of many street people. I am sure that I will never see or treat a homeless person in the same manner that I have in the past. I hope I don't. My lense has been changed.

The movie is based on the Book by the same title by Steve Lopez - I might have to add it to my reading list!

Colon Blow

This is an original recipe of Tom and Cindy Armstrong.

We have had a few friends that have tried it and like it. Some say that it is appropriately named. I remember one of our friends had some one day when we lived in a retirement community in Green Valley, Arizona. He said he was afraid to drive to Tucson the day he ate it (20 miles). LOL...

We find that if you go to a store that has bulk bins, you will find some of the things you need.


Rolled Oats
Wheat Bran
Oat Bran
Raisins
Pecans or Walnuts
Dried Apricots or whatever turns your head

Directions for mixing: Start with a large container. I use 2 gallon Rubbermaid.
2 parts oats, one part wheat bran, one part wheat bran, some raisins, some chopped nuts. Repeat. I have the dried apricots on hand, but like to add them just prior to cooking.

Cooking directions:
1 part mix
2 parts water
Apricots
Cook on the stovetop until it looks like a creamy oatmeal.

Delicious #1

I made this tonight and thought I would post it as our first recipe. One of my favorites! This comes from Not Your Mothers Slow Cooker Cookbook, a gift from my mom several years ago. Of course I made some changes… like the cream. I just don’t do well with a cream, chicken, crockpot combo. I always take the skin off chicken in the slow cooker, but the recipe says to leave it on. I also have used white cooking wine, which works great too. However, you can always look up the un-abridged version and make your own changes, which I think is the best kind of recipe. Serve over rice or couscous with a side salad. Makes great lunches for the next day! Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

Chicken with Golden Raisins

About ¼ cup flour

6 chicken thighs

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

1/2 full bodied wine

1 tsp. salt

pinch of black pepper

¼ cup golden raisins

1/4 heavy cream

Place each piece of chicken in flour to coat both sides. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, place the chicken in the skillet and cook until deep golden brown, about 5-7 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add the wine to the pan, bring to a boil, and cook, scraping any brown bits stuck to the pan. Pour over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Add the raisins and cook on HIGH for one more hour. Serve chicken hot with raisins and sauce.

A Favorite Quote

I am rummaging through my scraps of quotes, sayings, pictures, torn corners of notebook paper -- all of the things that I need to organize in some sort of reasonable, logical order so that these treasured fragments of thought and prose, love and woe can be called to mind and shared with someone special at just the right time. But they will probably never be that way-organized that is. However, while searching and sifting I found several tidbits that I will need in the future and actually found the very object of my search. I wrote it on a scrap some time ago, which of course has been neatly cut into a little rectangle, just the size that will get easily tucked in and lost in the ever growing stack of important, to be saved forever, papers on my desk. I don't know where I read it or how I saw it but it spoke to me. I have since found that Elaine Heffner has penned many quotes regarding mothers and motherhood but this is the one that first caught my eye and caused me to pause and to write it down on a little scrap of paper - I'll prabably keep the scrap - just because.

The art of mothering is to teach the art of living to children.
~ Elaine Heffner

this is my experiment

Hi there...did Delene the genius work this out?

Day 1

Today is day one of our new blog. After a move separated us by more than 5 hours, we decided to create this to help keep our ideas fresh and keep each other challenged with new recipes, tips for growing things, books to read, and more of the simple things in life. We encourage other mothers and daughters to join us in this journey of nurturing each other.