Ben learned this darling song/riddle at school.
I am not a drumstick, no not yet.
I need to eat more, so fat I get.
Corn is what I like, and lots of grain.
Sometimes I gobble. Can you guess my name?
[Hint: You're supposed to answer "Turkey!"]
I see you've guessed my name on your first try.
I have a problem and you know why.
Could you be so kind? I have one wish.
Help me out, and EAT SOME FISH!!!!
(The tune is very similar to "I'm a little Tea Pot")
As an addendum to my last post:
my feelings of being "robbed" and "beaten" have nothing whatsoever to do with being released from being Primary president, or with being called into the Relief Society presidency. I loved serving in Primary. It had it's wonderful moments, and it's stressful moments, just as any calling does. I was privileged to serve with wonderful sisters. I am very much looking forward to serving with the sisters in the new RS presidency, and with being in RS after being away for so many years. I am wondering, however, if there is any way I could talk the new president into instituting a "wiggle song" about half-way through the lesson -- I'm not sure I can make it all the way through without it!
Anyway, I just thought I ought to clarify!
As I said my prayers this morning, I was feeling down, and the words that I used to describe how I was feeling were “robbed” and “beaten”. (And they were, perhaps, a bit dramatic.) I didn’t mean them at all in a physical way, and it wasn’t until after I had said them that the connection to the parable of the Good Samaritan came into my mind. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the man on the side of the road had been robbed and beaten, physically. I realized that we usually just try to relate to the Good Samaritan in the story. Suddenly I felt that we should remember that we are all, at one time or another, the guy on the side of the road.
This life can be very hard. There are many ways that we can be, or at least feel “robbed”: robbed of time with loved ones; robbed of experiences we longed for; robbed of opportunities; and “beaten”: beaten by circumstances beyond our control; beaten by the cares and worries of life; etc.
With this in mind, we can each be the Good Samaritan as well. In the parable, the Good Samaritan could see the wounds, and the physical needs of the man were evident. The parable states that the Good Samaritan had compassion on this man and went to him and bound up his wounds, and gave him relief and placed him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Our dear Sister Hinckley has said, “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a battle." Remembering that, and realizing that the wounds of those around us are often invisible to the naked eye, our “binding up of wounds” and our “giving of relief” must truly be guided by the compassion of our hearts and by the Spirit. Compassion is an attribute of Christ. The more we practice this attribute, the more we will become like Christ. Perhaps that is why there is so much opportunity for practicing this in the world. Perhaps there are so many chances to be both the guy on the side of the road, and the Good Samaritan, because there are so many lessons to be learned from both sides of the street—so to speak.
P.S. I'm really o.k., the Lord, Himself, is very good at binding up wounds when we allow Him to see them. I'm feeling much better. Plus I felt like I got a nice insight.
I have a friend--a mother of four--who locks her husband out of her home from time to time after particularly trying days. She refuses to let him into the house until he promises not to make her repeat anything for the rest of the night. I understand how she feels.
I am now convinced that my computer has been spending too much time with my children. How do I know? Let me give you an example of recent interactions with my computer:
Close. Close. Clooose. CLOSE. Close.Close.Close.
Fine. I'll pull out the big guns. The All-Powerful Ctrl-Alt-Delete Windows Task Manager!
Status: This program is not responding. Oh really?! I hadn't noticed.
End Task. End Now. End Task. End Now. End Taask. End NooW. End Task. End Task. End Task. End Now. End Now. End Now.
It is at about this point that I begin growling and muttering under my breath, and that Ben suggests that we just throw the computer off of the deck.
If my computer thinks that I will keep it around indefinitely simply because it hears me repeat commands enlessly to my children day in and day out, and because it knows I would never throw my wonderful, though hard of hearing, children off of the deck, it is sorely mistaken. It does serve a purpose, and for the moment, I cannot afford to replace it. But, make no mistake Mr. Dell Desktop YOU ARE REPLACEABLE.
My children, on the other hand, are priceless and completely irreplaceable. The occasional irritation of the repetition which they require is far outweighed by the utter miracles of their very existence and by the blessing that it is to be their mother! So, while I may inevitably need to repeat such phrases as, "Brianna don't hit your brother with the battle-ax!" and, "Ben, your sister is NOT a toy!" On the other hand, Mr. Dell Desktop, your owner's manual states that all I should need to do is to click on the red 'X' and you should immediately close the program indicated. You, I can upgrade, and believe you me, I will. So, just think about that the next time you decide that you can't quite understand the simple command "close."
I had kind of a rough week last week. At the end of the week, I proposed an alternate plan for our future in the event that we should finish residency and find that post-residency life was just as demanding and stressful. I proposed that we run away together with our little family and live happily off of the land. (If you know me very well, you know how funny this actually is, but you had to know my frame of mind at the time.)
James replies, "We aren't going to be fugitives, we'd have to pay off our debts."
"We'd sell carrots!" I reply. Adding, "And we'd grow DANG good carrots! . . . Oh, and don't forget, I can still give massages! And you! You can still remove EARS!"
Can you believe it??! James didn't think this was a great plan?
So, today, in a much better mood, and thinking much more clearly, I've decided that we could just go into modeling. I've even put together a sample portfolio, . . . just in case. Just let me know what you think. I definitely think we have a future, but your feedback would be appreciated. Be honest. I can hack it.
He quickly returned and happily announced that his room was "done!"
I called out to him, "Ben, I'm surprised that you told me that your room was done when it's a mess." He replied, "Well, to my eyes it's done."These pictures are just a simple metaphor for the many tasks that we do every day that we must do, and re-do, and re-do, and re-do, and re-do, and re-do, . . . . Well, you get the idea. But, when they are done, they really are so very worth the effort, now aren't they??
And, just as Brianna is so adorable, and simply loveable whether her hair is done or not, those who truly love us probably don't care if we have dishes in our sinks, or toys on our floors, or laundry on our couches, when they drop by, so long as we make them feel welcome and loved.
O.k., so, when James and I lived close to family, we would go to one of our parent's homes for Thanksgiving dinner, and we would bring . . . the ROLLS! Yup, that's it. Rolls. So, when you live far from home, and you decide it's important enough to you to continue the traditional dishes that made up your family's Thanksgiving meals, then all of a sudden, your menu looks fairly complex. Instead of 5-11 families contributing, it's just you. So, that's why there are so many things on our menu. Truly, it isn't as bad as it seems. The recipes are fairly easy, and the pay-off for me is worth it.
That being said, James and I discussed it last night and we decided to save the Green Jell-O Salad and the Wassail for our Christmas or New Year's Celebration, in order to simplify things a bit. We even discussed the option of buying Sam's Club rolls, but then we decided that our rolls "rock!" So, they stayed on the menu.
Also, this year, we decided to substitute Corn Pudding for our Green Bean Casserole. I found a recipe online, but I would be interested in anyone else's recipe for Corn Pudding.
O.k., that's enough about my Thanksgiving meal for now. Now onto some clarification. I believe that Ben's "O-R-A-N-G-E" song was learned at school. He may have changed the lyrics a bit, but for the most part, it came from school.
And the quote, "Let us not have tears. Partings are a natural part of life." is, indeed, from Anne of Green Gables, one of my all time favorite shows! (Eight hours is worth it just for the kiss at the end!!)
A few years ago, I decided to lower my stress level for future Thanksgivings, by compiling a Thanksgiving Dinner Planner, comprised of the recipes that I use and the general time-line for preparations. I also compiled a detailed shopping list based on these recipes, but, hey, I'll save that for tomorrow's post. Not a very exciting post, but this is my blog, and my personal history; and if it happens to lower someone else's stress level this season, then all the better. Happy Thanksgiving planning!!
Thanksgiving Dinner Planner
Saturday before. . .
Thaw Turkey. (I found out the hard way that the Monday before isn't always early enough. Nothing ruins a Thanksgiving dinner faster than a turkey still frozen in the middle.)
Monday before ...
Orange Slushy Punch
1 can (46 oz.) Pineapple juice
2 cans frozen Orange Juice
Juice from 2 lemons
6 c. water
4 c. sugar
2- 2 liter bottles of Sprite or 7-Up
Boil water and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Mix in the rest of the ingredients, except the Sprite. Freeze. Before serving, add Sprite and "slush up." Serve.
Day Before Preparations. . .
Green Bean Casserole
3/4 c. milk
1/8 tsp. Pepper
10 3/4 oz. can Cream of Mushroom Soup
2 (9 oz.) Pkgs. Frozen cut green beans, thawed (or two cans French cut green beans)
1 ½ cups FRENCH’s French Fried Onions
In 1 ½ qt casserole, mix all ingredients except 2/3 c. French Fried Onions.
Bake 30 min. at 350° or until hot; stir. Top with 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 min. or until onions are golden.
Wassail
2 ½ c. sugar
4 c. water
10 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1- 6oz can lemonade concentrate
1- 6oz can orange juice concentrate
1 gal. apple cider
Mix sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Add spices and simmer 1 hour. Remove spices. Add frozen concentrates and water that each calls for. Add cider. Serve hot. Makes 2 gallons.
Note: May also add orange or lemon slices as garnish. This drink will make your home smell heavenly, and it tastes that way too!
Green Jell-o Salad
1- 3oz. pkg. Lemon Jell-o
1- 3oz. pkg. Lime Jell-o
Add 2 cups boiling water. Let cool, but not set.
Add and gently stir in:
1 large can crushed pineapple with juice
1 lb. Cottage cheese
1 c. cool whip
½ c. mayonnaise (optional)
Watergate Salad
1 pkg (4 serving size) Jell-o Pistachio Flavor instant Pudding & Pie filling
1 cans (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1 c. miniature marshmallows
½ c. chopped pecans
1 ½ c. (½ of an 8 oz tub) thawed Cool Whip
Mix dry pudding mix, pineapple, marshmallows, and pecans in a large bowl until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping. Cover. Refridgerate 1 hr or until ready to serve. Garnish with additional Cool Whip and pecans.
Pudding pie
Graham Cracker crust
Pudding flavor of choice
Follow directions on pudding package for pie. Top with Cool Whip or whipped cream.
On Thanksgiving Day...
Turkey
Prepare Reynold’s cooking bag according to directions. Preheat oven following directions that come with bag. Rinse turkey thoroughly, pat dry w/paper towels. Place turkey inside bag. Place the following ingredients inside the turkey:
1 ½ tsp salt
½ + 1/8 tsp pepper
1 raw onion , quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
Several sprigs of rosemary, thyme, parsley and sage into turkey.
2 bay leaves
Rub outside of turkey with vegetable oil, or unsalted melted butter.
Place uncooked stuffing around turkey. Continue with directions that come with Reynold’s bag.
Stuffing (requires stove top & then oven–with turkey)
1 Bag of unseasoned stuffing
1 cup sauteed onion
½ cup sauteed sliced celery
Salt (required!)
Pepper
Sage (optional)
Butter
½ cup Buttermilk
1 cup chicken broth
Saute onion and celery in butter. Add to dry stuffing along with chicken broth and buttermilk. Add salt/pepper and sage as desired. Arrange around turkey and in turkey if desired.
Butter-rich Rolls
1 c. water
1 lg. Egg
3 1/4 c. bread flour
4 T. Sugar
1 tsp. Salt
3 T. Dry milk
1/4 c. butter
1 ½ tsp active dry yeast or 2 tsp. Rapid rise yeast
Egg glaze:
1 lg. Egg, beaten
4 tsp. Water
Make dough in bread maker. Form dough into balls. Brush egg glaze generously over formed dough balls prior to baking. Bake at 375° 10-15 min.
Sweet Potatoes (requires stove top and oven)
1 ½ lbs (approx. 2 medium) sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed. Cook 25-30 minutes in water. Drain water and add:
½ cup sugar
½ cup milk
1 egg
3 Tbsp. Butter cubed
½ tsp vanilla
Stir to break, but not mash. Pour into a 2qt. buttered casserole.
Crumb Topping
½ c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
2 Tbsp. Butter
½ c. pecan pieces
Sprinkle crumb mixture onto sweet potato mixture. Bake @ 350 for 25 minutes.
Mashed Potatoes
Several white (Russet) potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1 ½ inch chunks. Chop up ½ onion add to potatoes. Cover with salted (abt 1 T.) water and boil until fork tender (about 10-20 minutes). Remove from heat, drain water. Mash up. Add butter (quite a bit). Add evaporated milk until desired consistency.
Turkey Gravy
Chicken broth
Flour or corn starch
Neck meat
Boil turkey neck and giblets with salt and pepper. Shred neck meat, throw giblets in garbage. Add chicken broth to turkey broth and drippings. Add neck meat. Bring to a boil. Add flour or corn starch to some water, then add to boiling broth mixture to thicken. Boil until desired thickness.
Don’t forget to cook the green bean casserole!
