Crockpot Cooking

So, apparently I am not the only one of my friends currently going through a crockpot phase. My friend Kristin led me to The Crockpot Lady's website, which I must admit is pretty awesome. Right after I visited that site and started cracking up at the humor level, I found out that my friend Caitlin was on a serious crockpot kick, too, and sent the link to her.

Anyway, the Crockpot Lady (Stephanie) committed herself to using her crockpot every day for an entire year - 2008. There are a ton of recipes (and she admits that they are not all winners) on the website, and today, I am making the Salsa Chicken and Black Bean Soup. This has become a staple in Kristin's house, and I tried it once over there, so I already know that it will be good. It is in the crockpot as I type, simmering away to perfection.

I did leave out the mushrooms and cumin though. I'll add spice when it's done, if it needs it, but I just can't stand cumin. And the mushrooms don't seem to go with the rest of the ingredients, if you ask me, so those were left out. I added a bit more corn to make up for the mushroom omission. I'll let you know how it turns out. (Sidenote - as much as I love avocados, I just couldn't justify buying one for this, since they are a dollar each! I decided to save the money and the fat content...)

And yes, I realize how long it has been since I last posted on here. I broke the resolution to blog more often almost as soon as I had made it. But, I'll try...

Holiday Shoppers Beware!

Also a warning to anyone thinking of getting short-term retail employment for the holidays. Who would have thought this is what the job might entail...

http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_11195127?source=most_viewed

And in Marin County, no less! This just goes to show that money doesn't buy class, manners, or common sense!

Good Old Saint Nick

Check out the headline of the article below:How inappropriate for those poor little kiddies!

Okay, I know the article is really about how to explain to kids why they're not each getting their individual Wii because Mommy did a little too much investing in the real estate market...No, it doesn't actually say that - just that kids may be disappointed in their gifts this year due to parents' inability to shell out the massive cash in order to buy their love. Hmm...still it's not as detailed as that. Maybe I should've written this article?

Anyway, here is a link to the full article, if anyone is interested in letting the kids down easy: http://www.ajc.com/services/content/atlanta-holiday-guide/stories/2008/12/04/talking_to_kids_holiday.html

***Warning - this is the part where my Catholic upbringing and beliefs become very apparent. If you will be offended by any religious content, don't bother reading any further.***

In all seriousness, although the article does have some good suggestions, I don't agree with all of it, but that may be due to my religious upbringing. I think my biggest problem with it is that it completely ignores the true meaning of Christmas.

If you can't afford the pricy demands of your children, why not simply bring the season back to its roots and explain the reason that we celebrate in the first place? Tell the story of Jesus's birth (you don't have to wait for Christmas Day to do this), and celebrate Advent (which is 4 weeks of preparing for the arrival of our Lord). Also teach the kids about Epiphany (the day the wise men arrived bearing gifts, and also the end of the 12 days of Christmas), which is January 6th.

How about explaining the origins of Santa with your children. Saint Nicholas was a Catholic Bishop whose acts of charity for those in need was legendary. Here are some links to more info on the Saint: Saint Nicholas, Ways to Honor St. Nick, St. Nicholas Center. There's also a children's book that can help to convey the origins of Santa to young children: The Real Story of Santa Claus

Originally, honoring Saint Nicholas by giving gifts to others was centered around his feast day, December 6 (tomorrow!), not Christmas. The gift giving has since migrated across the calendar a bit to Christmas Day, and in transit has spiralled way out of control. Maybe the state of the current economy is affording us (as a society) with the opportunity to teach our children what is really important - not money and material goods, but love, family, support and charity. This is the perfect time to start, as there are so many people now in need. We can also teach children the difference between wants and needs, while still having a happy Christmas. Instill in them the belief that Christmas is about giving, not receiving. It's about sharing our joy and happiness. After all, on Christmas, God gave us the greatest gift of all.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to stop giving the children gifts - not at all. Just don't max out any credit cards to satisfy their every whim. There's no need to fall into debt for anything that isn't a necessity. But something does not have to be expensive to be a good gift or to be appreciated. And we need to stop judging our own worth based on what others have. We need to stop raising self-centered brats with feelings of entitlement. Buy what you can afford. One day your kids will have to go out and earn a living, and if they have always had everything handed to them, they will not be prepared to support themselves.

And since that's probably a bit in the future, right now maybe we should just tell them that Saint Nick had to focus on the families that were truly in need this year, and your family is already blessed with what you have. (I do believe I heard this from my own single income, 4 child family in my younger days, and I managed to survive!)

As for Santa Claus, let the kids keep believing. I do.

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Vintage photographs - Historical photos

Last Chance!

Well, I just wanted to get the word out one more time...and then you won't have to read any more of my appeals for cash (probably...). The StepOut to Fight Diabetes Walk is tomorrow morning. I have to get up extra early, which for me may be more of a challenge than the 6 mile walk itself. So, one last link to my donations page before I toddle off to bed. I have already set the coffee maker to auto brew at 7am, in the hopes that the scent of freshly brewed coffee will entice me out of my sleep cocoon.

Wish me luck!

Thank you to all of my supporters!!

Steppin' Out, With My Baby

Or rather, with Kristin's baby...

The StepOut to Fight Diabetes Walk is this Sunday, and my friends and I are rarin' to go!
My team's fundraising efforts have been going great! The team has expanded to 7 people (including Kristin's 5mo old), and with the expansion, our team fundraising goal was raised to $2,000. So far, with the help of all of you generous donors (you know who you are), we have collectively reached 82% of our goal with $1,630 in donations! If you look at the Top Teams box on the right side of the San Jose Event's home page, you'll see our team on the list!! (Our team name is Kristin's Team.) Not too shabby for only 7 people, if I do say so myself (and I do).

I have exceeded my original personal goal of $500, but am reaching higher! I have reset my personal goal to $700, and am already at 79%! If you would like to contribute, there's still time! Just click this link to donate or join the team. Thank you so much to all of those who have given to this cause (and to those who have offered support in any way).

You may want to see if your company matches charitable contributions and you could double your donation. If you are unable to personally donate to my campaign, please forward this message and/or my website to your friends and family on my behalf. Or consider joining my team and walking with us in San Jose! I just found out that we can have "ghost walkers," which means that if you don't live locally, you can still join our team and either walk the same distance on your own in your town, or walk in one of the other StepOut locations.

I'm also still donating 50% of the proceeds of any of my Etsy sales to the fundraiser, if you see anything there that strikes your fancy!

Again, I really appreciate all of your help and support! Thank you very much!

Please help my team reach our final goal of $2,000 by Sunday. Every little bit helps.

Thank you!!

New Looks

Firstly, I've changed the appearance of my blog a bit. I was attempting to get the new Layouts feature to work on Blogger, but for some reason didn't have the required Button where it is supposed to be. So, this may change again...keep posted.

Secondly, I've decided that I'll be donating 1/2 of the proceeds from my Etsy sales to my Step Out to Fight Diabetes campaign. In keeping with that, I've listed a new item, below:

This is Lucine - a half moon shaped shawl. I really liked this pattern (thank you to Lion Brand - and yes, I checked with the company about copyright, and I am allowed to sell the finished product) and am thinking about making one for me... Check out the listing for more photos and a better description.

In other news, I've planned a trip to Denver to visit my good friend Joie in mid-October. I'm excited. I've only ever walked through the Denver airport, aside from standing at the Four Corners once as a child. I think we'll have a lot of fun.