Getting in Touch with your Inner Groovy-Making Your Own Fruit Arrangement

Spending money on things that don't last is not one of my favorite things to do.  So when my daughter's 18th birthday rolled around last week and she asked for an edible arrangement, I thought, well ok, she is 18, I will get her an edible arrangement.  I stuck with that plan until I went into the shop and saw the price sheet.  My diabolical mind immediately went into action to figure out how in the world could I make one?  One trip to the grocery and a few dollars later and I am ready to create my own edible arrangement.  You can make one too.

First I gathered the fruits she would want from the produce department, bought a flower shaped cookie cutter, some wooden skewers, a metal "pot" from the dollar store, a piece of floral foam to put in the pot to hold the skewers, and a tray of almond bark to dip the strawberries in to make them chocolate covered.  

 I washed the fruit then cut the apple and orange into wedges.  I dipped the wedges into sprite so that they would not turn brown.  It worked because two days later the apple wedges were still nice and pretty.  I dipped the strawberries into the almond bark after melting it according to the package directions.  I opened the pineapple and cut the circle pieces into flower shapes using the flower cookie cutter I bought at the grocery store.  When you finish cutting the pineapples into flower shapes, stick the skewer into it and through the center hole.  Fill the center hole with a grape and it makes an adorable flower with a grape center.  I also cut a number 1 and a number 8 freehand from pineapple for the arrangement.  After I stuck each piece of fruit on a skewer, I trimmed some of the skewers lower than others so the arrangement would be pleasing to the eye.  The arrangement lasted and was fresh until it was all eaten in about 24 hours.  Sprite worked beautifully to keep the fruit fresh.  Here is a picture of the finished product.  I put a dab of Easter grass in the bottom of the pot just to make it look pretty.  Voila!!  For a fraction of the price of an edible arrangement, she got an edible arrangement.

Of course if you want to order an edible arrangement, they do have a website :)

www.ediblearrangements.com

Theirs are very nice and beautiful.  I would love to have bought one, but I am a woman on a budget.  They have an arrangement for every occasion and a nice catalog to pick out of.

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Love!  I can't believe you are 18.  I can believe you are beautiful, you are smart, you are kind, compassionate, you are a Christian.  I am proud.

Get in touch with your inner groovy with this project!  Thanks so much for reading my blog.  Please leave comments if you are so inclined.  

Being Authentic Part 2

Being authentic involves realizing you are not perfect and neither is anyone else no matter what kind of persona they like to present. It is incredibly freeing to admit and advertise your lack of perfection. I like to put an amusing spin on things that happen. After all, if we don't laugh about life then we would all sit around crying. I choose to laugh. Your attitude is key to living an authentic life. You will feel trapped if you try to keep putting on an air of perfection.

I love a picture that one of my friends posted on social media today. They posted a picture of their mound of laundry that needed to be folded and characterized it as "Art Deco Laundry Sculpture". Folks, that is a real example of living an authentic life. All of us have a mound of laundry just like my friend, but I pillow my head tonight knowing I am not alone in the struggle to keep up with washing and folding. So many don't feel free to post everyday life. It keeps it real, makes others feel a sense of commonality, and helps us realize we are not alone. Not just with laundry but with life.

For years I have mentioned that I was out for Mother of the Year. One day I may be in for serving donuts for dinner, another day I may be out for forgetting I told my daughter I would come eat lunch at school with her. The fact is that the illustrious status of Mother of the Year is a tedious honor that walks a very thin rope. One minute you are a shoe in for saving the science project from certain doom when your son's volcano erupts and the lava is melting the paint but you swoop in with your mother of the year cape on and save the day by helping touch up the paint. The next minute you are out because you forgot today was 4-h and you didn't make muffins with your daughter. Own it. The fact of the matter is that we all are Mother of the Year in our child's eyes. Even though we fail and succeed on a daily basis.

Admitting you aren't perfect is like releasing the valve on a pressure cooker. It's just too much effort to try to be perfect. Embrace your imperfection and share it with other imperfect people. Putting an amusing spin on everyday life is just like smiling: it's contagious. Let's create an epidemic.

Now that is a point to ponder.

Tool Belt Diva Report

Once upon a time there was a lovely family who bought their adorable son a basketball goal for his birthday. Realizing that basketball goals are very durable, they cemented it 3 feet into the ground and then filled the post full of concrete just for extra posterity. What the family underestimated was the ingenuousness of a bored son.

A year later the son was bored one afternoon and decided that the backstop was a lovely target for shooting hockey pucks and BB's. Mortified, the son did not tell anyone that he had not only shot holes in the backstop but also shot hockey pucks through it. Sadly for the boy, the mom had not just fallen off the turnip truck and noticed right away that the backstop was compromised.

Another year later, the family was still trying to figure out how to get the goal down. The mother tied a chain to the goal thinking she could pull it down with her truck. Well she did but the stump that was full of concrete still remained. After several months of pondering, a contractor was called and his only suggestion was call a bobcat and have them lift it. Well there is more than one way to skin a cat so the Tool Belt Diva borrowed a sawzall. Since it was battery powered, it wasn't strong enough to saw through the heavy metal and concrete. Each day, the mom went out with a hack saw and worked little by little on the hideous eyesore. After 5 days of sawing(the mom works out so apparently is stronger than a sawzall) the Tool Belt Diva noticed she had compromised the integrity of the metal enough to possibly push it with the truck. The truck was put into 4 wheel drive and driven ever so gingerly up to the post. Then with one push of the gas, the score was as follows:

Stump of a Basketball Goal: 0
Tool Belt Diva: 1

The mom proceeded to put the truck in park and get out to admire her handiwork then jumped up and down with arms in the air looking around just hoping a neighbor was looking out the window to admire the handiwork to no avail. The Tool Belt Diva is a "Can Do" kind of girl.

Learning Sign Language

I have never been a lobbyist.  I have never picketed anything.  I have never been a part of a peaceful demonstration.  I have my opinions, and everyone is entitled to hear my opinions and make them their own, but I have never openly gotten involved in a "cause".  Until now.  The situation with my oldest daughter and her hearing has kicked me to the core and helped me realize what a real need there is in our community.  Do you realize there are exponentially more people who know Spanish and French than there are who can casually communicate it sign language?  I never thought about it.  Out of sight out of mind, I suppose.  We do not live in Spain or Mexico, and we don't live in France, but here in the United States more people can speak those foreign languages that can communicate with a hard of hearing or deaf person.  I can only imagine how dark their world is when the world can't talk to them and they can't talk to the world.

Since I can't change anyone except myself, I decided to learn sign language along with my oldest daughter who has been a lip reader her whole life.  We got a book and DVD and off we go.  I have been working on this for about a week now, and my goal for this week was to learn enough to say hello and "make nice" with the deaf and hard of hearing community that I am driving to an educational event this afternoon.  Goal accomplished.

Wednesday I was in Sears and saw a young man who was clearly deaf.  He had cochlear implants.  I walked up to him and said hello in sign.  Then I said, My name is J.  J was good enough for a name for myself for now because I didn't have time to learn my whole name in sign.  He lit up like a Christmas tree when I talked to him in his language.  I rest my case...  He said His name was_____.  I said what I thought was Nice to meet you.  His interpreter corrected me and said, "No, you just told him it was nice to divorce him."  WHOOPS!!  The young man laughed and I laughed and the interpreter showed me how to sign Nice to meet you.  One finger off and you have a whole new meaning in sign.    I went on my way very pleased to be able to converse with this young man when three weeks ago, I would have not thought another thing of it, would have continued my shopping and he would have continued on his way.  I ran into that young man again out it the parking lot and he (with a large smile) signed, "Nice to see you."  I signed nice to see you back to him.  My life is complete.

Wednesday I went to my first sign language class.  Needless today I was as lost as a BB in a boxcar.  But I picked up a few words, and next week I will pick up a few more.

www.aslpro.com is a fabulous website to learn sign language.  There are also books that can help you learn.


The Sign Club Co. is the local not for profit organization that's goal is to create a community of casual signers as well as bring awareness to the community about abuse of the deaf and hard of hearing.  Like them on Facebook.

I hope today that I get my signs right, but if I don't, it is just alrighty!!  Because the fact of the matter is that I had the courage to try.  Let's all be lifelong learners and learn something new today.  I have a long way to go with my sign language, but I am determined to learn it and make one more person in this community that can talk to those who can't hear.  Maybe this time next week I can be Jen.  Then I can be Jenni.  Then I will finally be Jennifer.  I don't care what they call me, I just want them to call me.  Today, I am J.

Now that is a point to ponder!

Autism, Special Education, and ADHD Awareness Month

The month of April has been set aside to bring awareness to Autism Spectrum Disorder, Special Education, and Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity.  All of these important words have significance in my life.  I vow to bring awareness to all of them and bring us all together to appreciate all people and all of their special talents.

When your children are born, no one expects to sit across a table and have someone say to them, "Your child has Autism".  No one wants to hear "Your child would benefit from services provided in the special education program."  No one wants to hear, "We have eliminated all other possibilities and your child meets enough criteria to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder."  I have a degree in Elementary Education.  I have had the college level classes on all of these diagnosis.  I have sat at a table when I have had to tell a parent each one of these phrases as an educator.  But let me tell you this:  NOTHING that I learned in college, or as a teacher prepared me to hear these words about my own child.  After all, my children are perfect in my eyes.  I thought I would birth the straight A student, the honor roll kid, the valedictorian, the quarterback of the football team, the star soccer player, the softball player with the full ride scholarship, didn't you think you would birth these children?  I was taught so much more by my children about what "perfect" really is.  For this, I am grateful.

If you are unaware of my oldest daughter's situation, go back and read the blog post titled Witnessing a Modern Day Miracle.  Two different times, in the second grade and again in the sixth grade I was told that she should be held back.  I knew that it would damage her self esteem and that her academics would be in no better condition by repeating than being moved to the next grade with her friends.  It was a gut feeling, but in the end, my gut was right.  Had I allowed them to hold my daughter back, she may very well have ended up dropping out of school or had such low self image that she would have never recovered.  The fact is that the school was judging my daughter's ability to climb a tree when she was actually a fish and was good at swimming.  Had I played into the school's hand of cards, the outcome would have been so different than it is.  My daughter was diagnosed with a language processing learning disability in which we were told she could not get to her hand what was being processed in her head to write it down on a piece of paper when in reality, she couldn't hear what was being said so it took her so long to process and piece together what had been said in to something that made sense.  In the meantime she was labeled "stupid", or "special ed", or "dumb blonde".  So many times over the years I wanted to bang my fist on the table and ask if they noticed how intelligent my girl was, or how great a Christian young lady she was, or what a great friend to others she was?  All the while we judge others on the world's scale when we need to be judging on God's scale and accepting everyone and their rainbow of differences.  Instead it seems that we judge everyone based on the world's scale and expect all the fish and the squirrels to climb the tree exactly the same.

We all need to realize that no one is dumb.  That we all are varying degrees of smart.  After all, God made us all perfectly the way He wanted us to be.  Autistic, Learning Disabled, Attention Deficit Disorder, Hyperactivity:  these are all labels created by man to describe people who don't seem to be able to climb trees like the squirrels can.  Indeed, we should put the squirrels in the pool and see how well they can swim.

Now that is a point to ponder.

During the month of April, Awareness Month for labels that man has created for our fish who can't climb trees well, let us all take time to realize that all are smart.  Let us teach our children to not only be proud of straight A's, but to be more proud of our work ethic.  Let us appreciate the colorful world that God made with all sorts of birds, fish, cattle, etc.  And let us never judge a cow on it's ability to fly, or a squirrel on it's ability to swim.  Only then will we create this awareness that we so desire.

Please look at this you tube video.  Copy and paste it in your browser.

http://youtu.be/YR26oxIoz68

Saying Goodbye to a Lifelong Friend

I went to a funeral today.  I said goodbye to a family friend that I can't ever remember not knowing.  My heart sunk when I heard she had passed, and then the memories started flooding my mind.  I was Peanut to them.  I don't remember why and it doesn't even matter.  What matters is that I was important enough to have a pet name.  I never went to their house growing up that there was not a fresh cookie offered to me in the kitchen.  They had red and white checked curtains hanging in that kitchen and dark paneling throughout the living room and kitchen.  Love was spoken at that house.  When I ran in as a small child I was always greeted with a "Hi Jenny" from Miss Kathleen, and Uncle Dillon would always greet me with "Hi Peanut".  I don't know if they greeted my parents or not, all I know is I felt special when I walked into their home. Very few called me Jenny and no one else called me Peanut.  They were names reserved only for those who originally called me that and from anyone else's mouth it didn't sound right.  I can hear both their voices now in my head like it was yesterday.

Even though they were my parents age, even a year younger, their children were older.  A girl and a boy.  I thought they hung the moon.  They were teenagers when I was little and that was a big deal.  When we would visit, their kids were going out with friends and driving and stuff.  That was so cool.  I watched every step they made.  They were my idols.  Someday maybe I would be a teenager like they were and drive and have friends like they did.  When they would leave for the evening, Uncle Dillon and I would play checkers while he sat in the recliner reared back with a pipe in his teeth.  It smelled SO good.  He had so many different pipes and they were so super cool.  He also chewed on cigars.  I fell in love with the smell of pipe tobacco at that house because of the man who smoked it.  I loved him so I loved that smell.

They had a golf cart.  Their very own golf cart.  Isn't that just the coolest??

Miss Kathleen always had her Bible with her.  I noticed.

We would go eat lunch after church at Morrison's Cafeteria.  I always ordered a corn stick.  I always enjoyed the conversation at the table.  I was never made to feel like the kid. I was always included in the conversation that was always about something good and right and noble.  I never heard anyone talking about anyone else.  We would go eat catfish in Ashland City sometimes.  Now that was super cool too.

When I was 8, their daughter got married and I was the flower girl.  Another big deal. I dropped rose petals along the aisle as I walked.

 One day I was sitting on the couch and the phone rang.  My mom looked like something bad happened.  Their son had been in a motorcycle accident.  The news was not good.  Intensive care, life support, head injury. I remember sitting at their house and watching as Christian people grieve.  I learned that you aren't supposed to outlive your children.  I learned the steps of grieving.  I learned that you never really recover from losing a child.  I learned that your faith makes you whole.  I saw it.  I know it from them.  Somehow I was a comfort for them for many years to come.  They loved me like I was their own.

My uncle passed away and my parents had to go to Virginia for the funeral.  It was the only time my parents ever left me overnight in my life.  I stayed with Miss Kathleen and Uncle Dillon.  It was like they had left me at Disneyworld.  I had the best time ever for those two nights.  Uncle Dillon played with me and Miss Kathleen had yummy things for me to eat and she took care of me.  I was sad when my parents came back just because I had had such a wonderful time.  Every parent loves it when their children have fun while they are away because they are able to leave them with people who love them.

When I got married my husband started playing golf with Uncle Dillon.  How cool is that?  Lifelong friends.  Nothing beats it.  Someone in your life who you never remember not knowing.  You don't remember when you met them because you never did, they just were always there.  Lifelong friends who live in the promised land now.  Lifelong friends who are sitting with their son now and are catching up on the in's and out's of Heaven.  No more pain, no more sorrow, no more crying.  I want to go.

I bet St. Peter had to go get Uncle Dillon off the golf course to let them know his wife was entering the pearly gates.  Hal rode in on his motorcycle to greet his mom and welcome her to paradise.  God said well done my good and faithful servant.

Funerals are for the living.  I am excited for Miss Kathleen.  She is where we all want to be.  Saying goodbye to a lifelong friend, someone who always made me feel special.  Save me a seat, Miss Kathleen.  I love you.  I want to sit by you and Uncle Dillon and Hal.

Coconut Oil Demystified, and a Healthy Recipe!

Revisiting the topic of Coconut Oil, I would like to go over what I do with it and define what a "chaw" is.  I have had more than a dozen people ask me in person or by text message to clarify.  Honestly, I am just simply amazed at how many people are reading and using the things in my blog.  I am just a regular person doing regular things.  I am so flattered that others like my stuff.  If you missed the blog about coconut oil and apple cider vinegar put either term in the search bar at the right of the blog and it will come up.

Here is how much I define as a "chaw".

When I get up in the morning, before I brush my teeth, I get this much coconut oil, let it dissolve in my mouth and swish it for about 3-5 minutes.  It has no flavor and melts at 73 degrees so it melts in your mouth very quickly.  After swishing, I spit it out.  This kills all toxins that build up in your mouth overnight as well as gets rid of and prevents tartar buildup on your teeth.  When I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned a few weeks ago, the hygienist did not scrape my teeth at all.  I felt amazing going in and just getting a quick lookover then getting polished, patted on the head and sent on my merry way.

2-3 other times during the day I get this size chaw of coconut oil and eat it.  Sometimes I just swallow it before it melts, and sometimes I let it melt in my mouth then swallow it.  The benefit here is it gives you energy and it is super good for your body.  Coconut oil is not stored in the body as fat.  It is excreted.  Other oils and crisco are stored as fat in the body.  This is one way I keep my body fat index low.

Coconut oil can be purchased locally as mentioned in the previous blog post, and also online from the link below.  Either one of these is good, but Nutrasource has the better price and you can order your Apple Cider Vinegar from the same place. :)

Apple Cider Vinegar needs to be unfiltered.  Makes it nastier to stomach!!  Seriously, it does need to be unfiltered.  All I can bear to consume is one tablespoon per day.  However, if you have an iron stomach, it is great to take a tablespoon before you eat each meal.  It curbs your appetite.  It really works.  But it sure is gross.  I am working up to a tablespoon each time I eat.  I know why it is good for curbing the appetite: because it is so gross it makes you not want to eat.  Seriously, it balances the ph in your body and somehow curbs your cravings.  Who knows, really.  Google it if you want to know the real reasons, but for me, it works and I don't really care why  :)  It can also be purchased locally, but if you are an online shopper, here is a link to purchase it also.

Tonight I tried a new recipe that was divine and was loved by everyone in the family, even the children. My aunt gave me this recipe while I was visiting there a few months ago. I thought some of you may enjoy it as well.  It is egg salad which is very good for you, has a lot of protein and also gives you the stinkiest gas you have ever hoped for in your life.  However, that is another great benefit of Apple Cider Vinegar.  It actually cuts down dramatically and even eliminates that pesky gas passing tendency we all get from eating eggs, beans, etc.  So here is the recipe for the egg salad.  I also made a black bean and corn salad to serve on the side.  YUMMY!!

Egg Salad

1/3 c. mayo

1T mustard

1/8 t crushed red pepper

8 hard boiled eggs

1/2 c. chopped green onions

flour tortillas

lettuce

cooked thick cut bacon

Mix mayo, mustard, and red pepper in medium bowl until blended.  Stir in eggs and onion.  Top Tortilla with lettuce, egg salad and bacon.  Fold up and enjoy!

On the left is Black bean and Corn Salad, on the Right is Egg Salad.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

1 can black beans

1 can whole kernel corn

chopped scallions 

chopped cilantro

Tuscan Italian dressing

Now this recipe is my own and I just throw some stuff in the bowl. I suppose I would guess 1/4 cup dressing.  Throw it all in the bowl and stir it up.  Yum Yum!!  I eat this by itself for lunch.  Low cal, high protein, and yummy!  Can't beat it with a stick.

One piece of bacon won't kill anyone and won't make anyone gain 5 pounds.  It is when we eat the whole pound or several pieces that it becomes a problem.  So enjoy the piece of bacon on this dish.  I know I did. Remember, eat what you want, just not a lot of it.

Thank you so much for reading my blog.  I am enjoying writing it so much and am humbled by the growing reader base.  Please share with your friends and subscribe to email updates on the right of the blog post.  I have a lot of stuff rolling around in my head right now to write about.  I am super excited to share my thoughts.  After all, everyone is entitled to my opinion, right??  

Now that is a point to ponder.