Holiday Hubbub

Halloween blew by in a hurry,  Teeny Tiny sprinted, literally, from house to house.  It's a good year for celebrations like birthdays, Halloween, etc.  Watching a little one light up with excitement makes walking for hours in mosquito and humidity laden night air worth it.  Now, we've got to get planning for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  They, too, will blow by in a hurry. : )  Happy Holidays!

Carne Guisada and Stewed Okra

Ladies and gentlemen, it has been awhile.  So long, in fact, that my blogger format has changed and I'm fumbling around as if it were my first post.  I'm a month into my final semester and I have to say that I'm loving my placement in a kindergarten classroom.  I'm exhausted as all get out, not so much from school, but from the balancing of school and home life.

Home life, it seems, has gotten comfy-cozy with mom having the available time to cook and clean on a regular basis.  The problem is, like many, many moms may know, when you go back to work, all of the work of home life is still waiting for you.  Home life cohabitants haven't minded the floors not being mopped for a month. I mind. Greatly.  Home life is a-okay with the clutter. Me?  Not so much.  Dinners are still being served, however desserts would be a thing of the past if Big Sissy hadn't been kind enough to bake a few batches of cookies to keep me from getting all crazy eyed.  Now, Bebe!  That's one smart girl, smart enough to learn key phrases like, "You're beautiful," "I love your heart," and "you're really awesome."  These phrases coupled with her baby cuteness, why, she's possibly the smartest in the bunch!  Hubs is falling behind in the "be kind to mommy" category; although I do give him props for making a few grocery runs, and in all fairness, he has been pulling six and seven day weeks and it is football season so...  I know I should cut him some slack, but my lack of slack has cut into his share and I'm feeling all slacked out- so to speak.

I miss my blogging buddies and hope to get back to some semblance of normalcy in blogland after I graduate, but we will see. Maybe by then I'll be bestowed with super-mommy powers and I'll be able to do it all without any complaint ( hubby's greatest wish).  Yea, and maybe by Thanksgiving they'll invent Pecan Pies that will magically make you drop all the extra holiday  L Bs. : )

To prove that I'm still cookin', here's a dinner that's pure comfort, Carne Guisada and Stewed Okra.  It's not much to look at, but it sure is tasty.  This dinner is going to need some time.  The idea is to have the chunks of beef falling apart.  In all honesty, my beef tips could have cooked down for another hour.  Well, that was just one hour we didn't have and it was still yummy, but if you've got the time, I think it would be well worth it.  Here's what you'll need-

2 lbs. stew meat, I use beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp. oil
2 cups water mixed with 4 tbsp. of Tony Chachere's Brown Gravy mix
Salt & Pepper to taste

Begin by heating oil and caramelizing onions in a dutch oven.  I've got a cast iron dutch oven that's perfect for this job.  Add meat and gravy and let simmer, covered, on medium-low heat for 3 to 4 hours.  The idea is that the meat be falling apart.  You may want to add a little water here and there, when you check on it.  This is up to you.  If you add too much water, take a 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and add a heaping tablespoon of flour, mixing until lumps dissolve; stir this mixture back into your meat and let it come to a simmer again.  This should thicken it.  Serve over rice or wrapped in flour tortillas.

For the stewed okra I sauteed half an onion and added to it a bag of frozen okra, a can of diced tomatoes, and a small can of tomato sauce.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  This is a yummy vegetable side for this meal.  The acidity of the tomatoes goes nicely with the rich gravy of the carne guisada.

I'm sharing @  hosted @ Rattlebridge Farms.

Have a blessed weekend!

The Days and Time

Here's the thing, I've fallen off the blogger train.  I'm in a bit of a funk, really.  Some call it senioritis:

Senioritis
	June 8, 2005 Urban Word of the Day noun. A crippling disease that strikes high school college seniors. Symptoms include: laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts. Also features a lack of studying, repeated absences, and a generally dismissive attitude. The only known cure is a phenomenon known as graduation.

This pretty much explains it.  I'm in stretchy pants, even now, as I type this.  I read books, but not school related ones.  There's a definite lack of studying-I put it off 'til the very end.  I only have three days left, but the last six weeks in which I've engaged for summer session have left me drained.  Fall session begins on the 27th so I'll continue my lull.. Forgive my absence as I relish my few remaining days off before my final semester begins.  This will be my last hoorah before I graduate in December.  Senioritis is in full effect-

Cajun Twirl

Teeny Tiny doing a twirl to Jalapena Lena.

Happy Sunday, y'all.  I hope it's worth twirling about!

Luck of the Junk

Yesterday morning, I stopped into an estate sale in my neighborhood.  I scored two awesome quilts.  One is a mishmash of squares and circles that will go in Bebe's room.

I love the pink accents in the quilt, and though it has a few squares that have to be sewn down or replaced, for $20 dollars it's a steal.

The other is a red double wedding ring quilt.  It's made of polyester, I think, but is not torn and has no stains.  I like that the edge has a scalloped design.  It was $40 so a bargain, too.

sharing @ Southern Hospitality's Thrifty Treasures

How Websites Promote Eating Disorders

photo source

Folks, I'm stepping onto a soapbox, so to speak, but as a mother of two beautiful daughters I feel it is my duty to spread the word to protect them.  If you have little beauties to protect, too, please read on.  Knowledge + Action = Power.

I grew up hearing about how eating disorders were bad when I was in school.  I watched an after school special or two, but other than the general, "Eating disorders are bad for you" knowledge, I didn't know much on the subject.

This image was pinned on pintrest from a blog named skin-bonesss.tumblr.com

These days, girls have the internet to gain knowledge.  One could learn all about eating disorders on the web, but  did you know there are also sites that teach girls HOW to be anorexic, bulimic, etc.,
See: http://www.pro-thinspo.com/index.html, http://proana.us/tagged/thinspo, http://thinspirationproana.com/
Look at some of the tips I found:

• "Pick and buy clothes that are tight. Aim to fit in to them in no time.
• Make thin friends.
• Keep dancing, after meal, till you feel absolutely fatigued."

and there are all sorts of images floating around the web that girls are using as "thinspiration."

Thinspiration?

Apparently, model Kate Moss, was quoted as saying, Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels," and  it's been posted  all over the internet.  The Kate Moss image was on Pintrest.  I reported it.

Social media is a way for these girls to spread these message like wildfire.  There are a ton on Pintrest and Tumblr, for example.  If you see these images, please report them.  In pintrest, you can click on the image and then click report which should appear to the right of the picture.

Is this ad any better?  You HAVE TO HAVE FOOD to have the energy to exercise.  No food does not equal being fit, it equals being sick.

Talk to your girls.  Teach them how to make healthy decisions such as choosing nutritious foods & drinks, portion control, and the benefits of reasonable exercise.

Eating disorders are  mental disorders.  They have to be taken seriously.  Know the signs and some of the lingo these girls are using.  For example, if you overhear a girl talking about an "Ana" or "Mia", often, listen.  For example, if a teacher overheard two girls talking and one said, "Mia came over after dinner last night" or "Ana is giving her a hard time" it is possible the girls are using slang to discuss Bulimia or Anorexia.

Summer Reading

Summer is winding down.  For me, it ended early July when I went back for summer classes at the university.  Big Sissy has joined suit and is now back at school, too, but that doesn't mean summer reading has to end.  Truthfully, I've had difficulty keeping up with school and home responsibilities so reading has been pushed aside, but I've been missing my books.  So many new books have crossed my path and I just can't wait for next week to finish so I can jump into reading full-throttle again.

Until then, I'll sneak in a few pages when I can.  Here's what's on the menu.

James Lee Burke's Neon Rain

1

I just learned of this series by it's latest release, Creole Belle, but wanted to start with book 1 in the series so Neon Rain is just the beginning.  So far, it seems promising.

2

Mary Kay Andrew's, Spring Fever is on a wait list at my library so that's a good sign, right?  Only five more people ahead of me on the list and I'll have plenty to read until then.

3

Michele Bardsley's, Because I'm the Vampire, That's Why  is another one I'm just beginning.

It's another first in a series, The Broken Hearts series, that is.  I'm hoping that since I like Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels, I'll like this series, too.  Here's to hoping.