Thursday's Thoughts on.... 2017

Here's my annual list of 100 things....


                 In  2017 ......

1. I tried to commit suicide 
2. I was committed... twice
3. I went to Horse Therapy!!
4. Brian and Bryn graduated from High School
5. TRUMP!!
6. "Lying Hillary"
7. Lexys Rhea made All West Choir again 
8. Russian Interference in the 2017 Presidential Campaign
9. North Korea - Nuclear Weapons
10. "Rocket Man" Kim Jong Un
11. Otto Warmbier (22 yr old student) died after being in a North Kriean prison for taking down a poster.
12. # MeToo movement gave voice to victims of sexual assault 
13. More than 30 prominent men from Entertainment, Business and Politics were removed from their positions because of accusations of sexual harassment Including:
14. Harvey Weinstein
15. Matt Lauer - fired from NBC for sexual misconduct
16. Senator Al Franken - resigned after multiple accusations of "   "   "
17. Dustin Hoffman - accused of " " " by 6 woman
18. Las Vegas Massacre - 59 killed, more than 500 wounded
19. Texas Church shooting - 26 dead, 19 wounded
20. Terrorism was rampant- suicide bombers and people driving cars into crowds attacked the following:
21. Ariana Grande Concert
22. London's Westminster Bridge
23. Department store in Stockholm
24. Lower Manhattan
25. Opioid Epidemic recognized and addressed
26. Hurricane Harvey flooded texas
27. Hurricane Irma
28. Jess moved out on her own
29. TOTAL Solar Eclipse
30. Push by the Left to Remove Historical Confederate Monuments
31. Kneeling at NFL games (Collin Kaepernick) during the National Anthem
32. US recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel
33. Women's March on Washington - vagina hats - SMH
34. People "identify" neither as male or female (Seriously??)
35. "Fake News"
36. Bill O'Reilly fired from FOX News
37. Senator Baseball game shooting
38. Mexican Border Wall
39. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle engaged
40. 13 Reasons Why
41. Izzy had a cyst on her tailbone
42. David Cassidy Died
43. Della Reese "
44. Fats Domino "
45. Tom Petty "
46. Hugh Hefner "
47. Glen Campbell"
48. Cuba Gooding Jr "
49. Mary Tyler Moore "
50. Don Rickles "
51. Monte Hall "
52. Jim Nabors "
53. Izzy killed her first Buck
54. Brant Bolden started at Pearson as Youth / Worship Minister
55. first ladies' event in several years : What Christmas Means to Me Table Scape Dinner
56. I sold a painting for over $100
57. Brian, Tayler and I went to Trans Siberian Orchestra in New Orleans
58. Townville
59. Pearl Pirates won 6A State Championship in Football
60. got Diesel the Dorky Dog
61. Myles - cancer
62. Jaron - Lukemia came back for round 3
63. Mrs. Liz Died
64. Gel Pens!!!
65. Bullet Journal
66. Collide Weekend
67. Article on my journey w Doc Schweinfurth in ENT Newsletter
68. Gel Nails
69. SNOW - Dec 8
70. Black and White photos
71. Izzy cut off her hair 
72. Brian and Tayler
73. Set date for Book completion - 2025
74. Reprimanded for being late to work all the time
75. Graham Allen Daily Rants
76. Heather Land - I ain't Doin It
77. Mila and Emma - You Tube
78. Zach Tanksley started his business
79. A Night In BEthleham
80. Beauty Bloggers - yes that's a thing
81. Got my Survivor tattoo
82. Pumpkin Patch
83. Snapchat Filters
84. Iz and GLou
85. Started painting landscapes
86. Kingston Frazier killed
87. Brian - knee surgery
88. Beauty and the Beast
89. Rise Against Hunger
90. Brian worked at Central Hills Camp all summer
91. Brian Surrendered to the ministry
92. Izzy started playing Bass
93. BDub and Lil Squash
94. Ryan and Kara got married
95. Calvin and I celebrated 20 years
96. Ryan graduated college
97. Ic Devos last new devotions published in December
98. DACA
99. Ryan and Kara having a baby... making me GREAT Aunt Kris! OMG
100. I survived 

Wednesday's Weekly Recipe - New Year Traditions - Southern Style

Some things are certain. Among those are death, taxes, and what ya eat on New Year's Day... at least if you live south of the Mason Dixon. 

Now, my mom swears you have to eat Black-eyed Peas, Collards, and Hog Jowl. We ate this every New Year's Day for my entire life. She still calls me and my siblings to make sure that we have had our New Years Meal. 

I personally do not like hog jowl, nor am I particularly fond of collards, and I am something of an all or nothing person, so I confess that I have not continued the tradition....

Until this year!!

I did a little research and discovered that a traditional Southern New Year's Day meal consists of 3 primary components:

• Peas
• Greens (turnip, collard, mustard, kale, or cabbage)
• Pork 

So here's my plan...

• Traditional breakfast including eggs, deer sausage, biscuits, gravy, and bacon (pork)
  
  
• For lunch, Cabbage soup 
  
  
• For supper, Hoppin' John (Black eye peas), Cornbread, stuffed deer tenderloin

Here's my recipe for Hoppin John: 

Compliments of the Pioneer Woman (click link to follow to her full recipe and directions)

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Large Onion, Diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Green Bell Pepper, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Diced
• 4 cups Soaked Black-eyed Peas
• 5 cups Low-sodium (or No-sodium) Chicken Broth
• 1 whole Ham Hock
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Cayenne Pepper To Taste
• 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar
• White Or Brown Rice, For Serving

Instructions:

(Soak black-eyed peas in cool water for at least 6 hours. Rinse before using.)

Heat butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery and stir. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in soaked beans, then add chicken broth, ham hock, salt & pepper, and cayenne to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover the pot for 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes, check the liquid level; if it's too soupy, cook with the lid off for another 15 minutes or so. If it's too thick, splash in a little more broth. 

Stir in vinegar, then taste for seasonings. Add more spice if needed.

Serve over white or brown rice, making sure to get plenty of the cooking liquid spooned over the top. Or, you may mix the bean mixture with the rice before serving. 

Variations: add red bell pepper, canned diced tomatoes, diced jalapenos, diced ham (instead of ham hocks), or sliced bacon (instead of ham hocks). Stir in torn-up kale when 5 minutes of cooking time remain. 

Variation: use canned, drained black-eyed peas if preferred. Just use diced ham instead of ham hock and a little less broth, as peas won't need to cook as long.

Now, if you aren't from The South and are wondering "WHY???" I have a little bit of history for ya to go along with this recipe...

Supposedly, the tradition spread after the Civil War. During General Sherman's march, the Union Army pillaged the Confederates' food supplies but left the peas and pork believing they were food for the animals and not for human consumption. They (of course) were not familiar with Greens and did not consider them food at all. The Southern soldiers thus felt lucky to have these supplies to get them through the cold winter.

I'm not the least bit superstitious, but my Nan would tell you that eating these 3 things on New Year's Day will bring you money and luck. Add in Cornbread because it is "golden" like... you guessed it...gold...and you are "sure" to have a most prosperous year... according to my Nan.

For me, it's just fun...and I do like traditions.... and with my modified menu, I LIKE the food!

I'd love to hear what New Year traditions you have!

Leave them in the comments.

Much love and BIG hugs!

K

Tuesday’s Tips and Tricks- New Year Resolutions

I’m super excited about the new year. I mean, really excited. I love the whole idea of getting a fresh start. I try to spend some time the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day to evaluate where I am, imagine where I want to be, set some goals to get there, and make some resolutions to help reach those goals.

Here are my tips for making resolutions...

Ask the following questions:
1. What’s really good in my life right now?
2. What is good but needs improvement?
3. What’s a mess and needs to be sorted out?

That takes care of the major things.

Now think about the following areas:
Spiritual- Am I closer to Christ today than I was a year ago?
Mental- Did I learn to do anything new this past year?
Relational- How’s my marriage? My relationship with my kids? Parents? Siblings? Friends?
Physical- Am i in better physical shape than I was last year?
Emotional- (this is new... given what all happened this year... it is needed) Am I emotionally stable?


Consider where you want to be 12 months from now:
How can I improve?
What would improvement look like?
How can improvement be measured?

Then formulate a plan:
What steps do I need to take to be where I want to be in 12 months?

My Resolutions are born out of those steps.

I may resolve to read my Bible 30 minutes each morning so that I start my day focused on Christ.
I may resolve to drink 80 oz of water a day to improve my health.
You get the idea.

Start big and broad.
Gradually narrow it down until you can come up with things you can Resolve to do in 2018 that will improve the areas of your life that you choose.

I’ll share mine when I get them done!
I’d love to know yours too...
You can leave them in the comment section!

Much love and big hugs!
K