Jean Jacques Rousseau, Marion Cunningham and Monday Musings

Hosted by Barbara at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers

In every city dweller there is a displaced yearning for the rustic farm and land, the taste of the homegrown, all the natural foods. The paradox is that we do want authentic country flavors and integrity, but we do not seek the discomforts of the simple life, so we rediscover regionalism vicariously amid modern convenience and luxury.
~Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 18th century Philosopher

It is somehow both alarming and consoling to know that Rousseau wrote these words over two hundred years ago. I think the best cure for this separation is home cooking. Looking for and buying raw ingredients, handling and preparing them in your familiar kitchen, and then eating at your own kitchen table will daily restore a feeling of connection with the natural world.
~Marion Cunningham, cook book author

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Monday Musings [41]

Hosted by Barbara at Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers

Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the dumb can understand.

~Unknown

I had found this quote somewhere and wondered why it was unknown, it sounded so profound. Barbara said… Mark Twain said Kindness is the language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see… I wonder where the dumb can understand came from… Good quote, but I think someone’s messed it up a bit…

So we stand updated and corrected.

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Menu Plan Monday


Breakfast Lunch Dinner
Monday

Oatmeal

Sandwiches Chicken Alfredo Rice Casserole
Tuesday Toast

Soup Glazed Stuffed Pork Chops

Wednesday Cereal Sandwiches Seafood Salad
Parmesan Rolls
Thursday Yogurt Sandwiches Meatloaf Muffins
Garlic Smashers
Friday Scrambled Eggs Soup Beef Stew ~ Lazy Day Style

Saturday Oven Poached Eggs Sloppy Joes Hamburger Steaks
Cranberry Rice Pilaf
Sunday Toasted French Toast mini Taco Ring Tropical Glazed Roast Chicken
Sesame Garlic Green Beans

I participate in the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Homemaker Mondays hosted by Robyn at 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven, Making a Happy Home Monday hosted by LL at As for me and my house…, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace, Slow Cooking Thursday & Tips on Tuesday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, $5 Dinners is hosted by Erin at $5 DInners and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

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Put it ALL in Perspective

This is another of those emails that crossed my desk that screamed, “SHARE ME”. Thanks Ray!

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, ‘How was the trip?’

‘It was great, Dad ‘

‘Did you see how poor people live?’ the father asked.

‘Oh yeah,’ said the son.

‘So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?’ asked the father.

The son answered: ‘I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.’

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, ‘Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.’

Isn’t perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen if we all gave thanks for everything we have, instead of worrying about what we don’t have.

Appreciate all you have, especially your friends! ‘Life is too short and friends are too few.’

Pass this on to family, friends and acquaintances and help them refresh their perspective and appreciation.

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Menu Plan Monday

Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snacks
Monday

Toast

Soup Rib Sticking Winter Soup Celery
Tuesday Cereal

Sandwiches Hot Wilted Greens Carrots

Wednesday Oatmeal Chili Garlic Shrimp Pasta Celery
Thursday Yogurt Soup

Stuffed Shells

Carrots
Friday Fruit Salad Sandwiches Lemon Lime Pepper Chicken

Popcorn

♥Saturday♥ ♥Oven Omeletes♥ ♥Tuna Melts♥ ♥Chicken Cacciatore ~ Skillet Style♥ ♥Deviled Eggs♥
Sunday Buttermilk Cinnamon Pancakes Monte’ Cristos Chicken & Onions in Wine Cream Sauce Brownies

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Simple Multiplication~Be Kind to One Another

This is another of those emails that crossed my desk that screamed, “Share me”. Is it really that hard for us to be kind to one another and follow the golden rule?

Whatever you give a woman, she’s going to multiply.
If you give her a house, she’ll give you a home.
If you give her groceries, she’ll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she’ll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges whatever is given to her.
So – if you give her crap, You will receive more back than any one human being can ever handle.

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Thursday Thirteen ~ Children Learn What They Live

http://www.thursday-13.com/
Thank you Janet and Megan for resurrecting it!

  1. Children Learn What They Live
  2. If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
  3. If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
  4. If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
  5. If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
  6. If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
  7. If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
  8. If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
  9. If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
  10. If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
  11. If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
  12. If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.
  13. Dorothy Law Nolte 1972

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Menu Plan Monday

I’m following suit with Sandra over at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom and will only be posting my menus every other week. Because of the distance we lived to base we only shopped once a month so I always have the entire month’s menu made in advance, but I have only been posting it weekly for Menu Plan Monday. This will be another effort to save me on posts. This one is an update/revision to get on schedule.

Weekday breakfasts are always either toast, scrambled eggs or cereal so I don’t post those. Working from home, lunch is “whatever” so it isn’t definitive either, but weekends are usually a brunch and I will start posting those along with the dinners.

Monday ~ CORN!!
Tuesday ~ CORN!!
Wednesday ~ CORN!!
Thursday ~ Beef Stroganoff
Friday ~ Meatloaf Muffins & Salad
Saturday ~ Quiche Lorraine & Pot Roast & Veggies
Sunday ~ S.O.S. aka S@#$ on a Shingle & Swedish Meatballs
Monday ~ Crockpot Pork Chops & Scalloped Potatoes
Tuesday ~ Ortega Chile Bake
Wednesday ~ Chicken Enchiladas Suiza
Thursday ~ Shepherd’s Pie
Friday ~ Peach Pork Chops & Potatoes
Saturday ~ Cinnamon Raisin Maple Oatmeal & Creamy Tomato Soup
Sunday ~ Huevos con Yummy & Chinese Chicken Salad

I participate in the memes: Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie, Favorite Ingredient Friday hosted by Kathryn at Overwhelmed with Joy, Freezer Food Friday hosted by MJ at mjpuzzlemom, Homemaker Mondays hosted by Robyn at 11th Heaven’s Homemaking Haven, Making a Happy Home Monday hosted by LL at As for me and my house…, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace, Slow Cooking Thursday & Tips on Tuesday hosted by Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom, $5 Dinners is hosted by Erin at $5 DInners and Tempt my Tummy Tuesday hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace. Doing them all make great additions to help keeping me on track and finding so new recipes!

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$1.11 for a Miracle

Here’s another one of those emails that crossed my path that warms the heart and needs to be shared. Snopes says it is unconfirmed, but I choose to believe there are people this kind and generous out there doing random acts of kindness.

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet.

She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.

Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall’s Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

‘And what do you want?’ the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice.. I’m talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven’t seen in ages,’ he said without waiting for a reply to his question.

‘Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,’ Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. ‘He’s really, really sick…and I want to buy a miracle.’

‘I beg your pardon?’ said the pharmacist.

‘His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now So how much does a miracle cost?’

‘We don’t sell miracles here, little girl. I’m sorry but I can’t help you,’ the pharmacist said, softening a little.

‘Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn’t enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.’

The pharmacist’s brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, ‘What kind of a miracle does your b rother need?’

‘I don’t know,’ Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he’s really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can’t pay for it, so I want to use my money.’

‘How much do you have?’ asked the man from Chicago

‘One dollar and eleven cents,’ Tess answered barely audibly.

‘And it’s all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.’

‘Well, what a coincidence,’ smiled the man. ‘A dollar and eleven cents—the exact price of a miracle for little brothers. ‘

He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said ‘Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the miracle you need.’

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn’t long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place.

‘That surgery,’ her Mom whispered. ‘was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?’

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost…one dollar and eleven cents….plus the faith of a little child.

In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need…

A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law.

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