Yum!

On Saturdays I get up before 5 in order to get to the campus at Louisville in time for class.  Then my work week runs from Sunday through Wednesday.  I try to do some cooking on Saturday night for the hubby and the kiddos to have some yummies!

 

Potato soup is my personal favorite!  

Potato soup

(This is as close to scratch as I get!)

3 pounds potatoes peeled and diced

2 boxes or 4 cans chicken broth

1 onion diced

1 tablespoon celery seed or 1 stalk diced celery

1 carrot shaved (optional)

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 stick butter

salt and pepper

 1 cup diced Velveeta

Boil potatoes and onion and celery seed in broth until tender.  Stir in the remaining ingredients and top with bacon, ham, chives, sour cream, whatever your heart desires!  So yummy!

My youngest loves chicken noodle soup.  Now, I buy generic as frequently as possible but making soup this way is so economical!

Chicken noodle soup

2 boxes chicken broth or 4 cans chicken broth

1 tablespoon celery seed or 1/2 finely diced celery stalk

1/2 carrot chopped, optional

1 small can chicken (white) or one cooked chicken breast, shredded

1/2 package egg noodles

Bring broth, chicken and celery seed to a boil stir in noodles and cook until al dente. 

Usually I double this recipe because my youngest LOVES it!

MMmmmm, soup's on!  Come on over!

Ethical Frameworks ~~ Help!

My work this semester focuses on domestic violence, specifically, domestic violence in rural areas.  As part of my analysis, I am to analyze this issue using utilitarianism, deontology and distributive justice. 

Now I can debate potential solutions from all sides utilizing each of the above, but analyzing root causes with each framework is more challenging. 

This is my understanding of the ethical frameworks:

-          Deontology (first principles)

o   First order principles that can guide society (beneficence, justice)

o   What is best solution

o   Is it the right thing to do

o   Does it follow general moral rules of what we should be doing

o   There are a number of principles we should follow

§  Do good for others

§  Cause no harm

§  Justice

§  Autonomy

o   Look at policy to see if it is following these principles

o   Conflict between different principles

o   The principles are found in spiritual traditions, philosophical documents

-          Rawls:  distributive justice

o   The original position:  rational, impartial people will establish a  mutually beneficial principle of justice as the foundation for regulating all rights, duties, power and wealth

o   It is about those decisions that are about the collective, not individual

o   Levels the playing field by giving greatest benefit to the least advantaged

o   What would rational and impartial people do?

o   Focus on civil liberty and fair distribution of primary goods

o   Veil of ignorance – about who we are and how policy might influence us, remove from the equation gender, economic level, profession.  Be totally ignorant to our own lives, we would make the decision that would best benefit the majority

-          Utilitarianism

o   Purpose is to make the world a better place

o   Greatest good for greatest number

o   Making a decision that is in best interest of greatest number

o   Do whatever will bring the most benefit to all of humanity

o   About the consequences, weighing what is going to have the greatest net gain at the end

o   In policy, programs have merit if they have positive outcomes with low cost to benefit ratio

o   Morality is about producing good consequences, not having good inte4ntions

o   Requires tremendous calculations

If you can provide any input on how each of these frameworks can be used to analyze the problem of domestic violence, I would greatly appreciate it!

Coffee

Mmm.  Coffee.  My husband drinks his black.  No cream, no sugar, no nothing.  I, on the other hand, like my coffee to be a little fancier. I often pour skim milk into my magic bullet to make fluffy cream then nuke it for a few second to puff it up even more before spooning it onto my coffee.  Depending on my mood I may sprinkle cinnamon on top or add a spoonful of vanilla extract.

More recently, though, I have been going the way of convenience and just using refrigerated creamer.  Over Christmas I tried CoffeeMate's warm cinnamon sugar cookie, cafe mocha and peppermint mocha (my favorite).

Now that the holidays are over, I have reverted to generic french vanilla flavor.  My 13 year old has grown fond of coffee made pale with french vanilla creamer. 

I am a seasonal coffee drinker, only in the fall and winter.  Hubby can drink it year round, very strong in the morning at lunch or before bed.  I don't seem to be affected by the caffeine, which honestly, is a little disappointing. 

On Saturdays I have to get up before 5 to travel two hours for class and I set the coffee maker to make 6 cups before bed.  Some to drink while getting ready and the rest for the road. I'm always a little sad when I finish my Bubba Mug full of coffee before I get to campus.

1/4

1/4 doesn't seem like much.  It's half of the half.  A small portion of a whole.  It doesn't matter whether your say one quarter or one fourth or say 25%.  For me 1/4 is  huge.  It means I am one quarter of the way through my master's degree.

The social work master's program is challenging.  The quantity of work is phenomenal.  I spent my entire last semester stressed and had lots of tears.  I know the end result will be worth it.  My classes officially start on the 7th and my Saturday classes start next Saturday.  Every Saturday up at 4:45 for a two hour drive to school.

In addition to working full time and going to school full time, I also do a 16 hour per week practicum and I also must complete a minimum of 5 group counselling sessions.  Each of my classes have a group project.  It makes it very challenging when students in the online classes are sprinkled across the United States.

One fourth.  Such a small number to so many, but to me the first step towards achieving my goal.

Rain, blessed rain.  I think this is a juvenile robin.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.

Oh yes, there was a fight.  The blue jay won.

God is great.

One of the can-can girls posed with the boys.  They were so embarrassed.

Oh but they were thrilled to pose with the actors who did the shoot out.

This was so much fun to watch.

The "bank robbers" after the show.

Posing at Gun Town Mountain overlooking Cave City.

The greatest gift from God is my family.

Gone but forgotten?

Isn't it amazing how you blink and months have passed?  I know I am.  It seems just like yesterday I was still a full time student.  Today, I am a full time social worker and will be starting my master's program in a few weeks.  This job has helped me realize how truly fortunate I am.

The boys will be starting back to school soon.  None of us are ready for the hectic mornings, late night projects, and homework.  But all of us are ready for ready for a routine again.  Summer has consisted of late nights, video games, and braces.   Yes, braces.

We put out our garden three times.  The first two times the deer and rabbits devoured it.  The third time everything died from lack of rain.  And of course I've snapped a few pictures.

While I may not post regularly, I still read your blogs!

A few of my favorites through the years

These were snapped over the course of the last few years.  This outhouse is in Price Cemetery in the Hico community in West Tennessee.  I have no idea how long it's been there but I actually remember using it as a small child when we went to cemetery day.

Doubt

I have to admit, I love checking my email.  Yes, I play on facebook a little bit and I blog here, but I love getting email.

Especially this week.


We are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to our Master of Science in Social Work.


I thought I would probably get in, but I wasn't sure.  There  was a lot of self-doubt.  Doubt about being able to raise a family, work, and go to school.  Doubts about taking on more student loan debt, doubts about my own abilities at grad school level, doubts about missing more time with my children...

There will always be doubt.

But this is something I need to do for me.  The quantity of paper work, even after being accepted, is unbelievable.

That being said, it's time I believe in myself.

“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.” 
― William Shakespeare

Is it spring? Brrrrrr

We've had gale force winds, tornadoes, and temperatures hovering around 60 degrees.  Now Mother Nature decides it's winter.  It's spit snow, tiny dry little flakes today and it's damp and windy and cold.  There are even daffodils coming up in my yard and they are blooming in my neighbor's!

I apologize for not posting more, but now that I'm a big girl and have a big girl job, I really just cannot find the time to do a lot of things I used to enjoy.  I'm afraid my gardening and canning will be reduced dramatically this summer.

The flu bug has hit hubby.  Between trips to the bathroom he has body aches and chills.  I am so glad that the kids and I had our flu shots, I just hope it works!

As soon as littlest squirt got home, he and I went to get our taxes started then went to get groceries.  I think it's been between 3-4 weeks since I did a big grocery visit.  Holy cow!  Gas here is $3.34 a gallon and a gallon of milk is even more than that!  I'm so glad I have a job now to help make ends meet.  I should know in 3-4 weeks if I have been accepted to grad school.  Even if I'm accepted, I am still on the fence.  It is scary to be ...ahem... my age and already be up to my elbows in school loans and doubling that with a masters.

Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.

Dale E. Turner

Random thoughts

Yesterday was my last day of training and Sunday is my first day on the job.  All alone.  All by myself.  I had been mapping out all my stops and setting up appointments when I was notified I had to change my schedule.  I will have, in total, about 7 hours just in drive time on Sunday.  Sigh.  Not what I signed up for, but I'll roll with the flow.

There will be nights when I may not get home until well after dinner time, so I am wildly searching for family friendly crockpot meals.  If you have a favorite I would love to try it.  I do think they are getting tired of soup, though!  I don't mind them eating sandwiches every now and then.  And they will eat canned ravioli (gag) but that is only every once in a while.  I want them to have healthy, hearty meals.

If you haven't been over to the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog, you are really missing out!  They have the most amazing recipes.  I'm headed over there now to see if I can use some of the casserole recipes in the crockpot.

Is it just this area or has your winter been strange too?  It's been mild and windy.  Very windy, in fact.  We've had tornadoes, sunshine, rain, days at near 60 when it should be in the high 20's / low 30's.  This really makes me wonder how this will affect the temperatures later in the year.


According to the almanac:


Jan 29-31: Snowy, cold.
FEBRUARY 2012:temperature 26° (6° below avg.); precipitation 3.5" (2" above avg. east, 1" below west); Feb 1-5: Snow showers, cold; Feb 6-9: Showers, mild;Feb 10-16: Snow, then snow showers, cold; Feb 17-20: Snow, very cold; Feb 21-25: Sunny, turning mild; Feb 26-29: Heavy rain to snow, turning cold.




Have a great weekend!

Hope

During a lecture this afternoon to one of the kiddos today about anger and coping skills, I realized what a hypocrite I am.  I owe you an apology. My last post was completely negative and I allowed my frustration to get the best of me.  I am sorry.

This past week I did part of my training in the office learning the mounds of paperwork that is required and part of my training out on the road, doing what I will be entrusted to do.  I will be doing the same thing again this week.  I know, going into this type of work, the burn out rate is high.  The turnover rate even higher, yet I still remain eternally optimistic.

If there is just one child, one family that benefits from what I do then I am happy.  I know that this job, specifically, is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but the experience I will gain will be phenomenal.

I am naively optimistic that everyone will want and welcome my help.  Realistically this will not be the case.  I think that will be the hardest part for me, seeing a family, a mother, a child, a father that chooses to remain content without considering his/her possibilities.  It does not make them less than me or me more than them.  I just want to show that change is possible.

Once upon a time, I was a single mom.  Working full time, going to school, raising 3 boys - it's not easy.  I tried to do it without help until I realized I couldn't.  I had to rely on family.  I had to rely on government assistance.  I hated it.  It makes me feel weak to have to ask for help.  I understand the nuances of change.  I really do.

I cannot fathom that I will ever doubt man's ability to change.  I just hope that change is for the better.

Have you ever just had one of those days?

I got up this morning did 3 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen and living room, and decided I needed to go to town.  Now, when I say "go to town", it's an event, not just a trip to town.

Both the kiddos needed a haircut and I needed a few groceries.  Since when did it cost $30 (total) for two kids haircuts?  At Walmart??

After my few piddly little bags of groceries, my wallet was $75 lighter.  Now I'm not blaming Walmart for the cost of groceries I'm just saying that's where we went.  Decided to go to the car wash and vacuum out the winter crud from the car and decided to throw away my walmart receipt.  Big mistake.

Got home, unloaded, sat down and realized I didn't remember bringing in the bag of two whole frozen chickens. The kids helped put the things away so I checked the fridge.  Nope.  Freezer?  Nope.  Truck of the car?  Nope.

Sigh.

Of course the customer behind me either didn't notice they got two free whole chickens or they chose to wallow in their good fortune and not turn them into customer service (I called to see if they'd been turned in and they hadn't been and because I couldn't produce my receipt, I'm out of luck).  That was enough for at least four dinners for us.  I hope the people that got the chickens truly needed them because that's the only thing that's keeping my anger in check.

A thin line

When I go home to Tennessee, I always go through a tiny little town, Hazel, Ky.  I love it.  I don't know if it's the fact that is where my father is from, the nostalgia, but I love going through Hazel.  I always drive well under the speed limit to truly enjoy that thin line between Tennessee and Kentucky.

There used to be a diner, a barber, a post office and a grocery store.  Now it is an antique paradise.  I can remember visiting Mammar, that's what my sister and I called my dad's mother, and she would let us walk to the grocery store from her house.  We always felt so big.  We would get into the store and the same woman, whose name escapes me, with her beehive hair was operating the old manual cash register.  Molly and I picked out our delicacy and charged it to Mammar's account.  

There is nothing like going home.

The people who live here have created Hazel's Art District.  I will have to stop next time.

The main drag

One of many antique stores

I just loved the star

I'm not sure I understand what it is that makes going home feel so good.  I know when I cross the state line I am nearly home.  I breathe slower, deeper.  If the weather permits, I drive the rest of the way with the windows down.

I've driven the boys past my dad's childhood home, taken them to the cemetery on more than one occasion to "meet" Mammar, and walked the main drag with them.  I want them to understand the importance of family and the importance of history.

Mom, Dad, Molly, and me

Time to grow up

My life as a full time student has ended, for now.  I am officially a grown up.  And for the big news . . .

that's right . . .


I have a job!!  A big girl job!  I work for a company in southern Indiana that contracts with the state to provide home based services.  I am a case manager / youth counselor.  I have not given up my dream of going to grad school and am waiting to see if I am accepted, but for now I wanted to share my good news!