Sunday Morning Breakfast w/Recipe

One of my favorite times of the week is that quiet, unhurried Sunday morning when you luxuriate over a big, homemade breakfast. Even living alone, I enjoy doing this, though my menu has shrunk and changed over the years. Growing up, we made fried eggs and bacon swimming in melted Crisco, pancakes or special treat waffles, syrup from melted brown sugar, butter and water. There was usually orange juice and canned fruit from the cellar of the previous summer's harvest. Whole, raw milk from a local farmer, and coffee for the folks. Often homemade jams and jellies accompanied the feast. The kitchen was warm, people relaxed and happy.

As a young child, we often enjoyed Sunday morning breakfast with minor changes in menu, in a nearby town, where both grandmas lived. After visiting the ill grandma; we'd cross town to the other who fixed us and her clan breakfast. She had often worked as a short order cook. There was childish play with cousins, the content of which has long since left my memory while smells of strong coffee, fried foods and pancakes filled the room. It was a happy interlude among the intense arguments, cussing and name calling that inevitably ensued among the adults. It's good that the negative memories lessen and change to positive ones as we grow older!

As my own children grew up, I remember having this Sunday repast on Friday evenings. Pancakes, waffles with peanut butter and applesauce, some syrup and veggie bacon/sausage were often on the menu with local drive-in dairy milk. Did we have fruit? I can't remember. It was filling, comfort food and easy clean up after a busy, tiring week. A comforting way to help usher in the Sabbath. I hope my children have happy memories of that.

Now, I still love those comfort foods, though my favorite are waffles. Recipes have changed over the years. I make them vegan/whole grain now and still accompany them with veggie bacon, which I recently discovered is Not vegan. Oh well. My favorite topping is natural applesauce with a dribbling of real maple syrup on top (okay I like sugar!). I have succumbed to, on cool fall, winter days, a cup of Kona Vanilla Macadamia Nut coffee, made mocha with my own mix of organic cocoa powder, organic sugar and soy milk. Today, I had a fruit compote of pineapple apricots over my waffles. Mmmmmm. The apricots I picked last month from a neighbor's tree who was just letting the fruit fall to the ground.....what a waste! I cooked them down and froze a few jars of the stuff. Not much, but it's wonderful. Of course the waffles are heart-shaped, baked on the waffle iron my grown children gave me with love. It just makes me happy! We all need these little things in our lives to make us feel good about life and ourselves.

Now that my little O is old enough to eat table food, I hope we'll be able to share this time/food together often.

Easy-Tasty Vegan Oat-Nut Waffles

Prep time: 5 minutes
Bake time: 8-10 minutes
Makes 4 4-inch spare waffles

2 c. water (or milk..soy, almond, etc)
1 1/2 c. rolled oats (or 5 grain rolled grain cereal)
1/2 c. sliced almonds or raw washed cashews
1/3 c. whole grain flour (oat, rice, whole wheat pastry, etc)
1 T flaxseed (optional)
1 t. sweetener (optional)
1 t. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt

Whiz in blender on medium/high until mixture is nice and smooth (1-2 minutes depending on power of blender). Pour into preheated waffle iron. Bake 8-10 minutes. Do not check on waffles for done-ness. Mine bake in 5-6 minutes on my smaller waffle maker. Believe me, they are yummy and have NO cholesterol!!!

Here's to Sunday mornings!

Thank You God for Weekends!

After this week, I am so thankful there is a God who cares enough for me to get me away from the world for one day out of six and gives me something wonderful to hope for. Hebrews 11:1.

Happy Sabbath!

Post-Observation

Ever been told by a supervisor that "responses to some emails and to verbal comments have been perceived as curt, insensitive and sarcastic...go through your building principal for all communication..."? It cut me to the core and had absolutely nothing to do with the principal's classroom teacher observation.

Poverty

Heard in church today: "The worst type of poverty is loneliness."

Interesting comment considering my morning blog thoughts. The pastor talked about how our "American Dream" has turned us to iSolation(yes, spelled that way). We want to build individual islands of utopia (with our perfect homes, big churches) and then keep out the rest of the world...the opposite of what Jesus instructed and demonstrated for us to do.

Here in WW there are all kinds of poverty; my school is 'the school of poverty' for the community. My home is on the fringe of an area of immigrant (illegal?) poverty. There is poverty of openmindedness. There is race poverty. There is rain poverty. :o) There is hunger. There is poverty of good parenting. There is a poverty of loneliness to newcomers of the community.

I guess as my job feels insecure, our country's financial back breaks and retirement age looms for me, I wonder what the future holds. Loneliness, homelessness, health problems, dementia or the opposites? Of course, I think of getting my own needs met first, then reaching out. Needs vs. wants. How did Jesus teach? His mission was to die for us, but is that what He requires of us? To be so committed to some mission that we give our lives for it? Did he teach balance or is that another 'American Dream' that is more iSolationist?

The political theory of Isolationism is not new for our country. It's written in its history. And as a Christian, what is my response to it?

Walking down a crowded city street or bumping elbows on public transportation, we can be in isolation, lonely. I'm not talking about being alone. I'm talking about feeling lonely. There are millions of us out there and we all feel lonely at times. Do we recognize that God is always with us? That at our loneliest times GOD IS WITH US?

I've recognized God with me in my most agonizing moments of life. That's what keeps my inner smile. Sometimes my outward life tries to overtake that surety, but when I take 'time out' to reflect on God, I smile again. I'm not lonely, even when I'm alone. Do I still struggle? Sure. Do I doubt? Sure, shamefully. But I know in my deepest soul that God will see me through somehow to His home. He's been with me through all these years. I just have to hang in there. So I continue.

Are you lonely?

What about today?

Suppose you had your basic needs supplied and you didn't have to worry about them much: enough money for water/food, clothing, shelter, utilities. What would you do with your time today?
___work more
___play video games/watch TV
___put away the computer to interact for real
___drink
___get depressed
___go out more
___have a party
___eat
___cry
___laugh
___work less
___play more
___give someone a helping hand by asking them if they want help
___be an entrepreneur: start a business or nonprofit org.
___go back to school to learn a new trade
___take classes in something you've always wanted to learn
___see a counselor
___spend more time with your spouse/kid(s)
___write a book
___play an instrument
___take a hike
___go for a swim
___work out
___sleep 8 hours straight
___sleep more than 8 hours straight
___ be a Big Sister/Big Brother
___Volunteer in your community and/or church
___share a cup of coffee/tea/water/food with neighbors
___call a far away friend
___forgive someone who's hurt you (harder than you might think!)
___garden; mow grass; pull weeds
___plant a tree
___pick up trash even if you didn't make it
___Let go of 'things'; simplify
___paint a room
___make that doctor's/dentist's appt you've been putting off
___join a club (art, music, book,etc)
___pray
___supply one needy soul what s/he needs
___reflect/meditate for 1 hour
___Your own choice

Do what God has put in your heart. He tells us to seek Him First and he will grant us the desires of our hearts.

Life's a bitch

Yesterday I sent an email to my mentor asking her what the plan was for mentoring me this year (this because the principal had asked me how my mentoring was going.....there's been none). So, my mentor stopped by my classroom today and said that she and the Sped director and the assoc sped director had finished editing the plan and as soon as the principal came back from vacation and checked it over, that she'd share it with me. Okay, this mentoring is all about sped and nothing to do with the principal. Another power ploy by the principal to try to control every move I make. She's already told me that the director and my mentor have concerns over my still emailing 'everyone' (those three) when I have concerns, questions. I've come to the place where I think that no matter what I do, they'll find a way to get rid of me. I've made too many waves and tipped the WW-way boat. So, if any of you have any ideas about what I might do for my next job or career, please let me know. Remember to realize my age and that my energy level is not up to what it was 10+ years ago.

I'd prefer retiring and just being a happy grandma, but my financial situation is not at that state.

Pray for me, okay?
I'd add pictures of happy moments, but my camera disappeared (I think it was stolen). It was new, too!!! Dang it!

Okay, so I do still have a solid roof over my head and food in my tummy and 1/4 tank of gas till the end of the month. I shouldn't be complaining, right?

A Weekend to Heal my Bruised Spirit

This last week was the first week of school with the children in class, although staff has been at school for 3 weeks. There were the numerous changes in phones, residences, custodial parent, and of course, the one new child whose grandmother really does the parenting and will not let her grandchild in class without her being present because he needs so much help! I look at children so differently now that I've been a teacher a few years and have my own grown children and wee grandchildren. I understand the grandmother's concerns, but I also know children do fine when they are given a good structure and are nurtured positively. I know I do that in the classroom.

Which brings me to the end of my week which was horrendous, as my principal brought up old stuff from last year, saying I still had not clued in that she didn't think I 'got' it. She says I'm doing the same thing, insubordination in her eyes, this year giving me a really hard time with that syrupy sweet way of hers. She would knife a person in the back given a chance if they crossed her, went around her or over her head. My overall impression is that she thinks I've done that, because when I send out an email question, I include, her, the district's special services director and the Early Childhood coordinator/my mentor. She wants me to ONLY email HER. She says it causes too much confusion and everyone emailed starts working on the issue I present. She says SHE is the one who can solve the problem. After all, hasn't she given me everything, 'Everything' I've asked for? I email others because I'm trying to be a 'team member', but this district doesn't work that way. It's a 'top down' system and boy, you'd better adhere to it. I was taught about team players, working together to solve problems, even with the administration at my former job.

I just may not last here, as really, when you take a job, the success of it pretty much depends on whether you make a good fit into their philosophy system and get along with supervisors. Obviously, I'm not doing that too well.

The principal and I did come to some agreement as to ways we could encourage some teamwork, so we'll see if it happens. No doubt, she'll just say, 'Look, this is the way we're going to do it, so get with it." No way will she involve everyone in the process so the whole team feels invested in making good changes happen.

I had to take the weekend to heal my spirit and get past being hurt and make a plan to thwart her efforts to destroy my employment. I am angry now, and could go on and on with name calling and blaming, but I won't. Just send up prayers for me as I try to take the 'high road' every day.

Because this is my second year here, I was feeling positive and more comfortable in my space and with the job. Even the meetings and busy week had not totally done me in until she got to me on Friday afternoon. It is good that she is gone this next week. She even announced it over the intercom during the day's announcements that she would be gone on an Alaska Cruise with her parents as they celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary. Why would she need to announce that to the whole school? That's her personal life and has nothing to do with her job other than she will be gone. It really doesn't change anything at school as a current staff member, who also has her administrative license, takes over as principal for her. Ego, all ego, making sure she stays the front and center diva. Oh, woops, I wasn't going to name call.

It took me all summer to settle in and feel ready to return to school. I enjoyed my darling grandson, finally finished getting my garden soil prepared and transplanted a few plants. I have a vine that came up by itself that looks like it is growing watermelons, but we'll see. The 'melons' are light/dark green striped, oval in shape and about as big as a football right now.

The first of August, I had a garage sale with a friend from River City and I think someone stole my new camera. I had it out taking pictures of little O and since that time I can't find it. Makes me so mad at myself for leaving it out for even a few minutes!And even less trustful of my neighbors, who were the ones who came to the garage sale. The garage sale was on one of the hottest days of the year and not many people came, but we made it okay and had enough to go out to eat.


Okay, that's me up to now. i worked extra for CEO to afford my 'new' laptop and boy do I love it! So I'm able to return to blogging and, and, and.

At last!

I have internet at home and a laptop! Oh, wonder of wonders! It is "mawv'lus"! I'll write a long blog probably this weekend with the latest news of the genius children and grandchildren I have and my latest life philosophies. I'm Back!