Sheila’s Parea

Three years ago today a dear friend passed from a life of pain to a new life while lying in a hospital bed in our home.  Warren Vermouth Stearns, Jr., age 47, went to be with our Lord and Savior after a year long battle with cancer. In honor of his memory, I am posting this poem.  It is a reminder of how important it is to think about what you say and do daily.  We love you Warren, and we miss you. Rest in Peace….

The Dash
copyright 1996 Linda Ellis

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth…
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own;
the cars….the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love
and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…
are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left
that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough
to consider what’s true and real,
and always try to understand
the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger,
and show appreciation more
and love the people in our lives
like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect,
and more often wear a smile…
remembering that this special dash
might only last a little while.

So, when your eulogy is being read
with your life’s actions to rehash…
would you be proud of the things they
say about how you spend your dash?

I would like to pay tribute to my Mother-In-Law, who has gone on to be with the Lord, but whom I think about often. She passed on 2 years ago today.

As I sat in church and heard everything that her Pastor was saying about her, I thought back and remembered things about her that would forever live in my heart.

1.  She was the closest thing to a “Saint” that I knew.  She loved the Lord and tried to live according to his word everyday…. not just when she felt like it. Have you ever  listened to someones’ eulogy and thought “Yeah, right…. that must be the way you knew them, but that’s not how others knew them!”

Not my Mother-In-Law!

She was a very gentle, quiet woman who was the same person everyday.  She didn’t have mood swings, didn’t gossip about the neighbors, wasn’t bossy or opinionated about how her 7 children were living their lives.  She was good to her children, her daughter-in-laws, son-in-laws and her grandchildren. She was kind to anyone who came to her home for a visit.

2.  She was the kind of Mother-In-Law everyone wishes they had.  Her visits were always welcomed and she was respectful of  me as her daughter-in-law and never tried to interfere in her children’s marriages or tell them how to raise their children. She loved to share recipes with me. We would sit in her kitchen and swap recipes or she would get out the pictures and we’d look at them for hours and she would send pictures home with me that she thought I should have of her youngest son.

3.  She lived her life as a wife to one man for 50+ years.  She was the better half of the relationship, making up for the shortcomings of her husband when needed. She kept up with everyone’s birthdays, anniversaries, etc. and would always call every Sunday morning to check up on her children and make sure all was well with them.  I miss those phone calls so much!

4. She was a wonderful homemaker.  I’ll never forget all the dinners she cooked for the whole family who would gather together in her home to visit  with each other every Sunday. I can still taste her homemade biscuits and fried chicken.  No on made biscuits like her.  And years later when her children moved away and settled in to make lives for themselves and have families of their own, if you came to her house for a weekend visit, she was insistant that you sit down and eat a hot meal that she had lovingly prepared in her kitchen.

5. She lived her last days, knowing that the end was soon, without grumbling or complaining about her illness.  If you came to visit, she would insist on getting out of bed and sitting in the living room with you (oxygen tube attached) for as long as she was physically able.  She made sure she let you know how loved and appreciated you were and how thankful she was to get the opportunity to visit with you one more time.

6. She spoke with my husband on one of his last visits with her and told him not to worry about her, that she was not afraid of what lay ahead for her and  her only wish was that the Lord would take her without a lot of suffering.  She was granted this request on December 11, 2006.  Bertha Bradford slipped away quietly to be with her Lord and Savior early that morning while sleeping.  She will forever be missed by her family.

A six-year-old boy told his father he wanted to marry the little girl across the street. The father, being modern and well-schooled in handling children, hid his smile behind his hand.
‘That’s a serious step,’ he said. ‘Have you thought it out completely?
‘Yes,’ his young son answered. ‘We can spend one week in my room and the next in hers. It’s right across the street, so I can run home if I get scared of the dark.’

How about transportation?’ the father asked. ‘I have my wagon, and we both have our tricycles,’ the little boy answered.

The boy had an answer to every question the father raised.
Finally, in exasperation, his dad asked, ‘What about babies? When you’re married, you’re liable to have babies, you know.’

‘We’ve thought about that, too,’ the little boy replied. ‘We’re not going to have babies. Every time she lays an egg, I’m going to step on it!’

With Christmas right around the corner and lots of time to prepare for it (due to my recent layoff), I am in the kitchen a lot these days, trying out new recipes that may be nice for the holidays. It is so nice to have the time off and not having to worry about going to bed at a decent time so I can get up for work the next day.  Lots of evenings I wait till my husband  has retired to bed and then do my experimenting in the kitchen.. I have no one to interrupt that way. Today I am sharing with you a recipe for stuffed mushrooms, a nice hor’derve for parties and family get togethers. Hope you like it.
The Ultimate Stuffed Mushroom
Prep Time:
20 min
Total Time:
35 min
Makes:
20 servngs, one stuffed mushroom each
What You Need
20 mushrooms
3 Tbsp.  butter
2 Tbsp. finely chopped onions
2 Tbsp.  finely chopped red peppers
14 RITZ Crackers, finely crushed (about 1/2 cup crumbs)
2 Tbsp.  KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
Make It
PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Remove stems from mushrooms. Finely chop enough of the stems to measure 1/4 cup; set aside. Cover and refrigerate remaining stems for other use.
MELT butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add 1/4 cup chopped mushroom stems, the onions and peppers; cook and stir until vegetables are tender. Stir in cracker crumbs, cheese and Italian seasoning. Spoon crumb mixture evenly into mushroom caps. Place on baking sheet.
BAKE 15 min. or until heated through.
Kraft Kitchens Tips
Substitute:
Prepare as directed, using RITZ Reduced Fat Crackers and KRAFT Reduced Fat Parmesan Style Grated Topping.
Make Ahead
Mushrooms can be stuffed several hours in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Uncover and bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until heated through.
Make It Easy
When preparing mushrooms for stuffing, use a melon baller to carefully scoop a little mushroom flesh from the cap after removing the stem. Then use the melon baller to easily scoop the filling mixture into the mushrooms.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I can smell the sweet aroma filling the kitchen as I prepare our feast today. I prepared the turkey for roasting and the smells are marvelous in the house . The weather is beautiful so the grandsons can go exploring in the woods when they get here.  I’ve used my favorite recipe for the turkey which includes basting it with a good white wine, just a little, and of course I have to finish the bottle, so by the time the food gets done and the guests arrive, I’m feeling like a million dollars.  I have Cher cranked up on my jukebox and the windows are all up to let the luscious aroma and the cheerful sounds of Thanksgiving float outside.  Our menu for today are:

Roasted Turkey and Sage Dressing / with Gravy
Honey baked Ham

Potato Salad (thanks, Sam)

Green beans

Sweet Potato Casserole

Cranberry Relish

Yeast Rolls ( thanks to Pam)

and for dessert we have:

Banana Pudding (thanks again to Sam)

Almond Joy Cake

Fresh Apple Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream
and of coarse Pumpkin Pie with Whipped topping (Thanks Pam, Nathan’s favorite!)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, try not to overeat (yeah, right!)

“I’m sorry” –  two small words that add up to be a huge statement.  Have you ever done something that seemed to be no big deal at the time, but after you’ve done it you see that it has hurt your relationship with someone?  It could be someone very close to you or even just a friend or acquaintance.  Should you try to repair the relationship or just ignore the situation and hope it will go away? Should you say “I’m sorry”?  I know it isn’t easy, but it is often essential to a relationship.

Even if what happened was an accident or you did something you didn’t mean to do, you would probably still feel sorry if you knew the other person’s feelings were hurt. After apologizing, you might feel a little better (the other person probably will, too). When you apologize in a caring way, you can feel good because you are trying to make things right again.  It is essential if you expect to have a good relationship with the person you hurt.  Not saying I’m sorry when you should can cause a barrier that will prevent your relationship to grow in a positive way.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “it takes a big man to admit he was wrong.” This is more true than you and I will ever know. People respect someone who can say “I’m sorry”. And what’s more is that it is easier to forgive someone who apologizes. A person who never apologizes is often viewed as stubborn, hard-headed, insincere, and non-caring. Is that how you want to be viewed?

So next time you need to apologize, go out of your way to do it right, mean it, and correct the problem that led to you needing to apologize in the first place. You’ll be a much better person because of it and your relationship with other people will be strengthened instead of compromised.

The Indian With One Testicle

There once was an Indian who had only one testicle and whose given name was ‘Onestone’. He hated that  name and asked everyone not to call him Onestone.  After years and years of torment, Onestone finally cracked and said,’ If anyone calls me Onestone again I will kill them!’  The word got around and nobody called him that any more. Then one day a young woman named Blue Bird forgot and said, ‘Good morning, Onestone.’ He  jumped up, grabbed her and took her deep into  the forest where he made love to her all day and  all night. He made love to her all the next day, until Blue Bird died from exhaustion.  The word got around that Onestone meant what he promised he would do. Years went by and no one dared call him by his given name until A woman named Yellow Bird returned to the village after being  way. Yellow Bird , who was Blue Bird’s cousin, was overjoyed when she saw Onestone. She hugged him and said, ‘Good to see you, Onestone.’ Onestone grabbed her, took her deep into the forest, then he made love to her all day, made love to her all night, made love to her all the next day, made love to her all the next night, but Yellow Bird wouldn’t die! Why?

OH, come on… take a guess !!!

Think about it !!!

You’re going to love this !!!

Everyone knows… You can’t kill Two Birds with OneStone !!!

The word for today is simple, but for some is quite hard to find.  It is happiness.  Here is a famous quote I think explains how to be truly happy:

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

My youngest daughter advised me today that Johnson and Johnson has a recall on Mylicon Gas Drops for infants.  If you have bought any recently, please read this:
Johnson and Johnson — Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Company (JJMCP) is voluntarily recalling approximately 12,000 units of Infants’ MYLICON GAS RELIEF DYE FREE drops (simethicone-antigas) non-staining sold in 1 oz. plastic bottles that were distributed after October 5, 2008 nationwide.

The company is taking this action in consultation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Although the potential for serious medical events is low, the company is implementing this recall to the consumer level as a precaution after determining that some bottles could include metal fragments that were generated during the manufacturing process.

If any medical events were to occur, most are expected to be temporary and resolve without medical treatment. Parents who have given the product to their infant and are concerned should contact their health care provider immediately.

In yesterday’s blog I hinted at the word for today, which is inferiority complex.  This is in simple words, having no self-esteem and it goes along with superiority complex. Here are the seven signs of having an inferiority complex:

Sensitivity To Criticism: Although people who feel inferior “know” they have shortcomings, they do not like other people to point this out.  They tend to perceive any form of criticism, regardless of how sensitively or constructively it is presented, as a personal attack.

Hypercritical Attitude: People who do not feel good about themselves have trouble feeling good about anyone else.  They look hard for flaws and shortcomings of others to try to convince themselves that they really aren’t so bad after all.  These people cannot feel intelligent, attractive, competent, etc., unless they are the most intelligent, attractive and competent person around.

Inappropriate Response To Flattery:  This can work two ways.  Some people are desperate to hear anything good about themselves and will be constantly fishing for compliments.  Others may refuse to listen to anything positive about themselves because it is inconsistent with their own feelings.

Tendency Toward Blaming:  Some people project their perceived weaknesses onto others in order to lessen the pain of feeling inferior.  From here, it is only a short step to blaming others for one’s failures.

Feelings Of Persecution: Carried to its extreme, blaming others can extend to believing that others are actively seeking to ruin you.  If a man is fired from his job, for example, it may comfort him to believe that his boss was out to get him.  It allows him to avoid personal responsibility for his failure.

Negative Feelings About Competition: People who feel inferior like to win games and contests every bit as anyone else, but they tend to avoid such situations because deep down, they believe they cannot win.  And not coming in first is clear evidence of total failure.

Tendency Toward Seclusiveness And Timidity:  Because people with an inferiority complex believe that they are not as interesting or intelligent as others, they believe that other people will feel the same way about them.  So they tend to avoid social situations, and when they are forced to be with others, they will avoid speaking up because they believe doing so will only provide an embarrassing demonstration of their dullness and stupidity.

Hopefully, none of you have this complex, but if you suspect you do, there is help available.  Please don’t waste another day living with this complex, find a good therapist and get some counseling.  Remember, if you don’t like yourself, chances are you don’t like anyone else either, and you can’t live life to the fullest.  Don’t waste another day!