Month: January 2018

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She changed the pathway of her life. Forlorn no more.

 

poem with flowers

 

It was just a night out to have dinner at a small pizza and pasta restaurant. Last Saturday night…the night we met a particularly friendly waitress. The waitress we won’t soon forget.

We walked inside from the unusually cold Texas night. The warm atmosphere was immediate. Pretty linen tablecloths. A man playing the piano…beautifully playing Broadway tunes, current songs, jazz. Soft lights. Quiet conversations at several tables. This is not the normal pizza place. We felt like we were invited into someone’s home.

After we were seated, our waitress came over to get our drink order. So outgoing. A beautiful smile. Young. Perhaps in her very early twenties. Friendly and confident. Efficient. She even brought us an extra plate so we could share the salad…just because the salad was large. She thought that we might want to both have a salad with our dinner.  Thoughtful.

I remember thinking that she seemed especially mature for her age. Probably a college student making extra money. Parents who brought her up correctly…as if anyone really knows the correct way to raise a child.

We soon found out that her parents were far from good parents. As we were about to pay for our dinner, she looked towards the door. “Oh look! It’s my husband’s dad and brother! I love it when my family comes here for dinner!”

When she brought our receipt back, she apologized for getting so excited about someone coming in who we didn’t even know. She went on to explain that her husband’s family was all the family she had. She truly thought that her husband’s family was wonderful. Her own family was in another city, but she didn’t see them anymore.

She didn’t intend to see them until they got their act together. She doubted that they ever would make it. She told us that her family is seriously into dangerous drugs. She said that their lifestyle is not the lifestyle that she wanted. She had practically raised herself.

Without good teachers, she could not imagine where she would be. Eventually she left home…to make it on her own. She soon met her husband and was recently married. Her family did not even know about the pretty wedding. She was going to college and working at the restaurant in the evenings.

Once she started talking, she told us the entire story. She said that she could have been sad. She said that she could have been totally lost. She said that she had faith and that she knew that she was on the right path. She was planning to be a teacher and help someone else make something special of themselves.

 

What a heartfelt story. A story with such a positive outcome. A story that made us smile for this ambitious young woman who grew up to be so very resilient. Not an ounce of forlornness surrounding our waitress on Saturday night. 

Congratulations to a future teacher. She will probably change many lives!

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/forlorn/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Can We Just Think About Being Winsome In The Springtime?

winsome seven

Last year was constantly serious to me. Politics. World Diplomacy. Economics. Education. Terrorism. Hunger. Climate. Animal Rights. Immigration. Isolation. Fear. Threats. Bi-Partisan Absence. Harassment. Distrust. Argue. More Arguments. The Most Arguments.

Important issues bombard us each day. It is sometimes difficult to leave for our daily responsibilities without a heavy heart. Without a new worry. Without a sudden need to talk back to someone about anything. I believe that this negative response to disagreement is leading us down the wrong turn in the road.

When did our innate happiness disappear? Or did it? I have always thought that a cheerful continence is the route to cohesion. Am I the only one who feels this way? Surely not.

When I read the WordPress Daily topic yesterday, I was intrigued. WINSOME? Maybe we need a dose of that kind of medicine. The word “winsome” brings thoughts of pleasing behavior, charm, kindness, honesty and a general feeling of cheer. The idea sounds so childlike. Right? I am not trying to be a “Pollyanna”, but I have seen some mighty childlike behavior from politicians from both sides of the aisle.

Therefore…I suggest some lighthearted moments. Just here and there. We realize how serious the world agenda appears to be. Constant bickering is not the total way to solve the problems. Personally, I am tired of the instant anger.

Let’s start with the basic way to change your immediate atmosphere and attitude. Quit going around with a frown on your face. Quit wearing dark and uninspiring colors. Brighten your immediate world. Lighten your immediate world. I know…just a tiny start. Find your inner “winsome” self…

winsome nine

 

 

winsome six

 

 

winsome two

 

 

winsome three

 

 

winsome four

 

 

Emmy Rossum Out And About In Beverly Hills

 

 

winsome one

 

Find your winsome self. Smile. Agree. Agree to disagree. Compromise. Just try to get along with someone with a cheerful demeanor. We can’t always be serious. At least…we can dress with winsome!

 

 

winsome eleven

 

http://www.://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/winsome/

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Listen teacher…it’s about my allergy!

 Food allergies one

Teachers can learn quite a lot on the first day of school….as I did about five years ago. When a six year old child arrived in class, he promptly told me that he had a “bad” allergy. He did not have a note from a parent, not a note from a doctor not a note from the school nurse. I asked him to tell me about his allergy. This was his immediate answer:

“Most everyone else has an allergy…so I do too. I am allergic to NOT having chocolate cake every day when I get home from school. If I have chocolate cake, I feel fine.”

 

The surprising fact was that his mother did indeed make him a small chocolate cake each day. The cake was hot and ready when he arrived home. She didn’t want to make him feel badly for NOT having an allergy.

 

True story…no kidding! But…allergies are serious and not something to tie in with popularity in a classroom.

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Teaching school these days is sometimes like being a physician without a medical degree or a nurse who never attended nursing school or a child psychologist with only nine college hours of psychology. There are multiple allergies in multiple classrooms and these allergies can absolutely be life threatening. It is a very frightening reality…even for a veteran teacher. I must admit that I rarely heard about serious allergies earlier in my career. At that time, I honestly never had a student to become ill from a negative reaction to an allergy source.

What caused the world to change? Medical research tells us that these severe allergies exist and exist at an alarming growth rate. A site titled everydayhealth.com states the following: “Between 1997 and 2011, food allergies among children under age 18 jumped 50%, according to a 2013 report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)”.

 

Food allergies three

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Why are childhood allergies on a quick rise? There are theories. Rarely is a definitive answer found.

A sampling of leading theories:

1. Better hygiene. Our much improved ability to prevent germs has caused our immune system to become off balance. This is referred to as the “hygiene hypothesis”.

2. Some American parents wait to introduce infants to foods that are potential allergens like peanuts. In cultures where peanuts are given to children at an early age, the number of peanut allergies is lower than in the United States.

3. Parents have been reporting food and skin allergies at an increased rate. Doctors are better able to identify children with serious allergies. Therefore, doctors appear to be reporting more cases of allergy.

 

What foods cause the highest number of allergies in children?

 

According to NBC’s Today Show, approximately 90% of all food allergies are caused by the following foods:

 

1. cow’s milk

2. eggs

3. peanuts

4. tree nuts

5. fish

6. shellfish

7. soybean

8. wheat

 Food allergies two

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Two possible preventive measures are:

1. breast-feeding for 6 to 12 months

2. a delay in introducing solid foods

 

Theories and speculation about a very real problem for young children. What is needed…more training for parents, more training for teachers, more research.

 

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/allergic/

 

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When you’re a first time grandparent…

Jack and Pat

 

Jack Mike and Pat

We became grandparents and we changed our focus.

We became grandparents and we were filled with joy.

We became grandparents and we felt a little older.

We became grandparents and we felt a little younger.

We became grandparents and remembered…

     

We remembered those first nights with a new baby.

We remembered our amazement at tiny, tiny hands.

We remembered waiting for the baby’s first smile.

We remembered singing a lullaby in a soft voice.

We became grandparents and loved…

 

We loved watching our grandson sleep in his crib.

We loved when our daughter held him so gently.

We loved when our son-in-law whispered to him.

We loved seeing a brand new Mama and Daddy.

 

We became grandparents and we realized that life goes on and on…for that we are so thankful!

 

Grandparent's love     

 

 

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Red Velvet Thumbprint Cookies…One Dozen Just For Me!

 

Hassle-Free Cookies

 

Since it is January 4, I knew that the Valentine’s Day displays would be more than a little obvious in the stores. I saw the signal that February is just around the corner within thirty seconds after entering Central Market. I am surprised that I even had time to get a shopping cart before I was bombarded with bright red hearts.

 

Velentine heart two

 

 

Trust me…I would never forget the significance of Valentine’s Day! I simply need to recover first from the busy times around the Christmas holidays. I have not even found a place for the extra wrapping paper. I may do that today.

 

 

 

Christmas wrapping paper

Nevertheless…I have a wonderful cookie recipe that is perfect for Valentine’s Day. So delicious!!!

 

 

red velvet cookie two

 

 

RED VELVET THUMBPRINT COOKIES

 

What to have on hand:

*Parchment Paper

*4 ounces (1/2 cup) unsalted butter,     softened

*1/4 cup sugar

*1 large egg

*1 1/2 teaspoons red liquid food coloring

*1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

*1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

*1/2 teaspoon salt

*1 teaspoon salt

*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*2 ounces cream cheese, softened

*1/4 cup white chocolate morsels, melted according to package directions. Cool.

***Garnish: white chocolate morsels

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the egg and food coloring. Beat 30 seconds.

2. Sift the flour with the cocoa and salt in a small bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place 1/2 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Press thumb or end of a wooden spoon into each ball, forming an indentation.

4. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes or until cookies are fragrant and dry. While cookies are still warm, press indentations again. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes). 

5. Stir together cream cheese and melted white chocolate in a small bowl. Fill centers of cookies with cream cheese mixture.

 

***Garnish the center of each cookie with a white chocolate morsel.***

 

ENJOY!!!

colorful-1191019_1280

 

 

 

 

 

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